Banks, post offices and the stock market are open on Election Day. Tuesday, Nov. 3, is not one of the 11 legal public holidays set by federal law, so the Federal Reserve and the Postal Service keep normal hours.

The next day off for most of them is a week away. Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, is a federal holiday, and Edit USA's Veterans Day guide lists what closes then.

Banks and the stock market

The white marble Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington behind a lawn
The Federal Reserve's Eccles Building in Washington, photographed in August 2008.AgnosticPreachersKid / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Banks set their own branch hours, but the Federal Reserve's calendar decides when direct deposits and transfers move. The Fed's list of the holidays it observes in 2026 skips from Columbus Day on Oct. 12 to Veterans Day on Nov. 11, so payments clear on schedule Tuesday.

The New York Stock Exchange is trading normal hours too. Its 2026 holiday calendar has no Election Day closure, and its next holiday is Thanksgiving, Nov. 26. Unlike the Fed, the exchange stays open on Veterans Day.

Mail, ballots and local offices

The exterior of the main U.S. Postal Service post office in downtown Seattle
The main post office in downtown Seattle, photographed in September 2025.Antrikshy / Wikimedia Commons.jpg) / CC BY 4.0

Post offices are open and carriers are delivering. The Postal Service's holiday schedule shows three holidays left this year, starting with Veterans Day.

If you are still holding a mail ballot, don't count on a blue collection box. A ballot dropped in one late Tuesday may not be postmarked until Wednesday, and many states need ballots in hand by Election Day, so take it to a drop box or your election office instead.

Some state and city offices and some schools close for Election Day, so check locally.