Are supermarkets open on US Election Day? Opening times from Walmart, Target, Costco, Kroger...

Millions of Americans will be heading to polling stations on Tuesday to cast their ballot in the US presidential elections. Early voting ended Sunday with over 77 million advance ballots already returned. That constitutes just under a third of the 244 million citizens who are eligible to vote in the country.

Follow AS’s live coverage of Election Day and the count in swing states

The remainder, or most likely a similar number of them, will be heading to polling places on Tuesday to cast their vote in person. While Election Day is an important day in the calendar, it is not a federal holiday, although four states (Illinois, Maryland, New York and West Virginia) do observe it as a holiday with employers expected to provide staff with paid time off so that they can vote.

So what about supermarkets? Many people will be taking advantage of their time off to vote to do other day-to-day errands as well, such as a shopping run. So which supermarkets will be open and trading as normal on 5 November? Let’s take a look.

Walmart

Walmart will be open as usual on Election Day to welcome shoppers on their way back from (or to) polling places. Walmart store associates get three paid hours for voting if the timing of their shifts don’t otherwise allow for it. They have to provide a day’s notice to their supervisor, a company spokesperson told CNBC. Walmart’s operating hours are from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. You can check the opening hours of your local store here.

Target

Target will also be open for business on Tuesday. Store employees will be given time off to cast their ballots on Tuesday. The chain’s usual operating hours are from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. You can check local store hours before heading out the door here.

Costco

The Costco chain will operate as normal although Monday-Friday timetables may vary. Most stores will be open from 10 a.m. and close at 8:30 p.m. stores on 5 November but some will open earlier so it’s advised to check whether your local warehouse will be open on Election Day, you can do so here.

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Kroger

Kroger is open seven days a week 6 a.m.-12 a.m. (some stores open an hour later - you can check the opening hours of your local Kroger store here).

Publix

Publix stores are usually open from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Sunday, but again, it’s a good idea to double check what time your local store will be open before before visiting.

Currently, there are 12 federal holidays recognized in the United States but Election Day is not one of them so most if not all supermarkets are convenience stores will be open for trading like any other day on 5 November.

Many stores typically close on all major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas but otherwise remain open throughout the year. Advocates argue that designating Election Day as a federal holiday could boost voter turnout by allowing more Americans to have paid time off to vote.