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By Anna Skinner
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With Daylight Saving Time ending just two days before the midterm elections, some may assume the extra hour of sleep could give voters more energy and time to cast a ballot. But experts say the transition can affect people in different ways, making its effect on turnout difficult to predict.
Clocks are set to fall back an hour overnight on Sunday, bringing earlier sunsets and darker evenings. The scheduled time change happens only two days before the midterm elections, the results of which could flip control of the Senate and House. While candidates continue to debate issues such as the economy, inflation and the U.S.'s involvement in the Iran war, experts say a nonpolitical factor could also play a role in turnout: the end of Daylight Saving Time.
**“**Our research finds that turning the clocks back before Election Day reduces the number of people who vote,” University of Virginia professor of public policy, politics, and education John Holbein told Newsweek. “The evidence points toward earlier darkness being an important part of the explanation, rather than an extra hour of sleep bringing more people to the polls.”
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While an extra hour on the clock might imply people can capture that time with more sleep, Holbein said that isn’t always the case.
“Because our body clocks don’t reset overnight, people may wake at their usual biological time rather than sleep the extra hour,” Holbein said. “This means that any benefit voters might get from an extra hour must be weighed against the earlier darkness that makes getting to the polls harder.”
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When Is Daylight Saving Time?
Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 1, at 2 a.m. Eastern time, when clocks will fall back to 1 a.m.
The only two states where clocks won't change are Hawaii and most of Arizona, which do not observe Daylight Saving Time. Arizona's Navajo Nation is an exception and does observe DST.
Midterm Campaigns Most Impacted By Daylight Saving Time Change
Voters residing in states with the earliest sunsets will likely be affected the most.
“When the clocks fall back, sunset arrives an hour earlier, but work schedules and poll closing times stay put,” Holbein told Newsweek. “That leaves less daylight to fit voting around a job, a commute and family responsibilities. For someone already struggling to get to the polls, that can make the difference between intending to vote and actually voting.”
He stressed that infrequent voters are harmed the most by the time change. States that could see the biggest impact on their voter bases include New Hampshire and Maine, where sunset occurs before 5 p.m.
Rural communities, where voters may have a longer commute to the polls and not as many early voting options, are also particularly vulnerable to the time change. Rural areas make up an influential voter base in several tight Senate races this year, including the Iowa Senate race between Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek and the Ohio Senate race between Republican Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown, as well as Ohio’s gubernatorial race between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton.
“The concern is greater where voters also face long commutes or rely heavily on voting in person on Election Day,” Holbein said. “In a close race, those barriers could matter. But our study identifies conditions that make voting more vulnerable to the clock change; it doesn’t tell us which particular races will be most affected this November.”
In some of the tightest races this election cycle, a few hundred votes could determine who wins or loses.
How Are People Affected By The Time Change?
Seasonal time changes disrupt sleep patterns, which can affect alertness, concentration and decision-making. The impacts from the change can last as long as seven days, American Academy of Sleep Medicine spokesperson Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg told Newsweek, meaning that voters might still be feeling the effects of Sunday's time change when they vote on Tuesday.
“Changes in sleep timing and quality can affect how alert and focused we feel throughout the day,” Feinberg said. “Some studies have also identified declines in daytime cognitive performance following seasonal time changes.”
While the most negative impacts are associated with the spring change, where people lose an hour overnight, the fall change can also affect people in similar ways.
The Political Argument Against Daylight Saving Time
For decades, the existence of Daylight Saving Time has been a debate topic among politicians, with some supportive of keeping the twice-a-year time change, whereas others advocate for eliminating it.
Earlier this year, lawmakers proposed another possibility which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide. The Sunshine Protection Act cleared the House on July 14 and would make DST the permanent national standard, eliminating the need to change clocks each spring and fall. The measure had support from President Donald Trump and several lawmakers, but it is currently stalled in the Senate.
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However, while many sleep experts advocate for the elimination of Daylight Saving Time, they do not suggest making Daylight Saving Time permanent. Rather, they suggest making standard time permanent.
“From a sleep health perspective, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends permanent standard time because it better aligns with our natural circadian rhythms and provides more morning light, which is important for regulating sleep and wakefulness,” Feinberg told Newsweek.
What Happens Next
After the clocks change on Sunday, Feinberg urges people to maintain consistent bedtimes and wake times to offset the effects. Getting exposure to morning sunlight and obtaining at least seven hours of sleep can help people adjust, as well.
As for looking even further ahead, Holbein suggested shifting the end of Daylight Saving Time to after Election Day.
“One straightforward response would be to move the fall clock change until after Election Day,” Holbein said. “We don’t have to settle the entire daylight saving time debate to stop changing the clocks just before people vote.”
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Gray R. Thomas
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