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Will We Ever Stop Changing the Clocks? The Fight Over DST

white analog clock sitting in green grass, with the face reading 8:00
Image Credit:
M.Vich/Shutterstock
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Every fall and spring, Americans grumble about changing the clocks—“fall back” in November, “spring forward” in March. But will this ritual ever end? Here’s the latest news on the push to stop switching between Daylight Saving Time (DST) and Standard Time, plus a look back at how we got here.

The Next Clock Change

The next change happens on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2:00 A.M., when Daylight Saving Time ends. Clocks will “fall back” one hour to Standard Time. Most people set their clocks forward before going to bed on Saturday night, March 7, so they wake up at the correct time Sunday morning. For quick and accurate time conversions across U.S. and world time zones, try our Time Zone Converter.

Why We Still Change the Clocks

Many Americans feel that changing clocks is outdated. Studies show:

  • A 2022 CBS News poll: 33% want permanent Standard Time, 46% want permanent DST, and 21% are fine with switching twice a year.
  • A 2022 Monmouth poll: 13% prefer Standard Time year-round, 44% prefer DST year-round, and 35% are okay with switching.

The debate continues: Standard Time aligns with the sun and human circadian rhythms, while DST gives later sunsets and more evening daylight.

Does Changing the Clocks Save Energy?

Not significantly. A 2008 U.S. Department of Energy report found only a 0.5% drop in daily electricity use during extended DST weeks. Modern studies find little benefit.

Health, Safety, and Other Effects of Time Change

  • Sleep & health: Standard Time aligns better with circadian rhythms. The spring switch is linked to increased heart attacks and strokes.
  • Safety: Fatal accidents rise after the spring change, though robberies drop with lighter evenings.
  • Mental health: The fall switch has been linked to higher rates of depression diagnoses.
  • Lifestyle: Extra evening daylight boosts outdoor activity, but economic activity dips after the fall change.

See our 5 Tips to Adjust to Daylight Saving Time for help with the transition.

The Push to End Clock Changes

In recent years, public frustration has fueled political momentum to make either DST or Standard Time permanent.

  • 2018–2022: Dozens of states passed resolutions or laws in favor of permanent Daylight Saving Time, though federal approval was required.
  • 2022: The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act to make DST permanent. However, the bill stalled in the House.
  • 2023–2025: New versions of the bill have been introduced, but none have advanced to law.

Who Wants to Lock the Clock?

While Congress has not yet passed legislation for permanent DST, states are taking matters into their own hands:

As of this writing, 29 states are actively pursuing some form of permanent time change.

  • Permanent Daylight Saving Time: 19 states have passed laws or resolutions to adopt year-round DST once federal approval is granted.
  • Permanent Standard Time: 6 states are pursuing year-round Standard Time.
  • Mixed or contingent initiatives: 4 states have considered both options or proposals contingent on federal action.
  • No initiative to change: 19 states have not introduced any legislation regarding DST or Standard Time.
  • Already on Standard Time year-round: Hawaii and most of Arizona (except the Navajo Nation).

On June 20, 2025, Texas passed a law aiming for year-round DST, but it won’t take effect until Congress allows it.

A Brief History of Clock Changes

The U.S. has wrestled with clock changes for over a century, and permanent DST has been attempted and reversed multiple times. The United States first adopted nationwide clock changes during World War I to save energy, then again during World War II. Since 1966, the Uniform Time Act has regulated the biannual time change.

  • 1918 – World War I: DST was introduced as a fuel-saving measure. Contrary to myth, farmers opposed it because shifting hours disrupted livestock and work routines. The law lasted only 7 months, though some states continued observing it locally.
  • 1942–1945 – World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt established year-round “War Time” DST.
  • 1945–1966: States observed DST inconsistently, creating confusion for transportation, broadcasting, and commerce.
  • 1966 – Uniform Time Act: Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, this standardized DST across U.S. time zones. States could opt out, but the system became the national norm.
  • 1974 – Energy Crisis: DST was made year-round to save energy, but the change was unpopular, especially for children going to school in the dark.
  • 2005 – Energy Policy Act: Established the current system of DST from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. States can opt out to stay on Standard Time, but cannot adopt year-round DST without Congress.

Exceptions today: Hawaii, most of Arizona, and U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas) remain on Standard Time.

For more history, see our main Daylight Saving Time page.

Where Things Stand in 2026

As of July 2026, Americans will still be changing their clocks twice a year. No federal law has passed to end the switch. A majority of states support the change in principle, but Congress must act before anything can take effect nationwide.

Will the Clock Changes Ever Stop?

The answer remains: Not yet. While the issue has bipartisan support and broad public approval, the debate continues over which time should be adopted permanently—Daylight Saving or Standard Time. Until Congress resolves the question, “springing forward” and “falling back” continue.

What Other Countries Do

Frustrations with clock changes are not limited to the U.S.:

  • European Union: 80% of residents want to end seasonal clock changes.
  • Countries that abolished DST: Argentina (2009), Russia (2014), Turkey (2016).

Frequently Asked Questions

When do we change clocks in 2026?

Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2:00 A.M. Clocks “fall back” one hour.

Will this be the last time we change the clocks?

Not yet. Congress has not passed a law to make DST or Standard Time permanent.

Why do we change the clocks?

Originally, to save energy during wartime; today it’s largely historical and standardized by law.

Can states stop changing their clocks?

States can opt out of DST and stay on Standard Time (like Hawaii and Arizona) but cannot adopt year-round DST without federal approval.

Does changing the clocks save energy or improve safety?

Energy savings are minimal. DST may reduce evening crime and encourage activity, but it temporarily increases car accidents and health risks, and it affects sleep and mental health.

Bottom line: The next clock change is November 1, 2026, when Americans set their clocks back 1 hour. Until Congress acts, the twice-yearly time change continues.

What do you think about Daylight Saving Time? Tell us in your comments below.

History

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the digital home of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. She leads digital editorial strategy and publishing across a wide range of Almanac sub...

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Regina</span> Fri, 04/16/2021 - 09:16
I think that would be the *Worse thing to do keeping day light savings all year around.... Either be getting Too Close to the Sun, it's happening cause Earth is moving towards the moon... Either way "We The People Of United States" have every right to now the Whole Truth!!!... I Do Believe Congress have moi important matter's to deal with instead of Messing with our Timeline.. Congress asking you to Grow Up!....
<span>Melissa</span> Sun, 04/11/2021 - 23:41
I would Love to stay on DST. It allows us to go out and do more in the evening. Able to prevent car accidents. Safer when we go out, less crime. I have more energy. Doesn’t mess with my sleep routine and my help issues that require a regular sleep routine.
<span>Lalita</span> Sun, 04/11/2021 - 09:23
I vote for the time to stop change twice a year. Standard time only....
<span>Nick</span> Sat, 03/27/2021 - 23:27
Oddly in your article you list Florida’s legislation supporting year-round DST first, then leave Florida off the list of sixteen (not fifteen) states which have acted to support your-round DST!!! Make DST permanent!
<span>Bill Helmer</span> Thu, 03/25/2021 - 13:42
Permanent daylight saving time is a horrible idea. I live in California, where Pacific Standard Time only exists for four months of the year. With Pacific Daylight Time, I am actually in Mountain Standard time here in California. This doesn't make any sense. I used to live in Arizona where there is no Mountain Daylight Time. There is just Mountain Standard Time. There was no changing of clocks! In the Northern Hemisphere, the days are already getting longer, with more light each day. Permanent Daylight Saving Time is a very reactionary, and is not a progressive idea.
<span>Timmo</span> Tue, 03/23/2021 - 01:03
Why have time zones in the first place? The sun rises and sets completely oblivious to all our clocks and watches. Who is to say breakfast should be consumed at 7:00 AM and supper at 6:00 PM? Let's run the entire world on Greenwich Mean Time, or as it's now called UTC - it's how all the airlines in the world set their schedules. No longer will anyone need to wonder "What time is it in Sydney?" We will all be on the same time! If this sounds radical, consider that 27% of the population of the earth is in a single time zone UTC+8. GMT for all!
<span>Jacqulyn Walters</span> Sun, 03/21/2021 - 02:24
I'm not sure how the thought hasn't occured to more people. In a world where technology rules, the BBD...right at your finger tips, and if a page doesn't load fast enough on a phone regularly, it's an immediate anger outburst. Not enough time in the day, wow-the-day-flew-by-so-quick... taking away (i.e. "jumping ahead") an hour of the day only, actually, reduces the days minutes by 60. Leaving the day with 60 less minutes to get anything done until winter comes around again. Whether it's sleeping, working, exercising, spending quality time with children or loved ones, we're doing an hour less of it every day in DST. It's simple math. You have 100 ch. chips. You have to divide them up between 10 muffins. But you decide it's best to put aside 10 for a different recipe and take the remainder and divide those up between the 10 muffins. There are less chocolate chips in each of the muffins now. They all look the same, cook the same, but you're shorted chocolate chips. In the end it seems it also comes down to when you want your daylight. Circadian rhythms are associated with light and dark. The light wakes you up, the dark puts you asleep (very simply put). Light in the morning, dark at night. Since to be healthy, consistency is key, seems it would depend on when you have to be to work and wether you have kids. What is more important to you and to our general public overall. (Mostly our children and future in my personal opinion.) That should be what decides our permanent outcome. **DST = jump ahead/lose an hour, spring to fall (summer months). **Standard Time = regular time it's always been before DST was introduced, observed fall to spring (winter months).
<span>Sonya Davis</span> Sat, 03/20/2021 - 10:14
Here in the north, it's dark by 4 p.m. in December and January. That's 6 hours of darkness before bedtime. With Covid, we're all stuck inside at home for 6 hours waiting for time to go to bed. It throws our bodies off really badly and I've had two severe bouts of winter insomnia in the last 3 years. There's a 6 hour difference between the daylight hours in summer and the number of daylight hours in winter. That's hard for our bodies to handle and we struggle with seasonal affective disorder, but throw a time change twice a year in on top of that and it just makes it worse. Please have mercy on the northern part of the nation and grant us DST so we can actually see daylight after work in the evening in winter.
<span>Peter Maas</span> Fri, 03/19/2021 - 10:06
Canada, with whom the US enjoys a huge trade relationship and thus is affected by DST weirdness in both directions, has considerable resistance growing over DST as well. Ontario has already passed legislation that will make Ontario stay on DST with no time changes, but it only takes effect if New York and Quebec do the same. So come on NY... end the bollocks of silly time changes.
<span>Aaron Mccarty</span> Fri, 03/19/2021 - 05:32
It's true there are parts of the country where permanent DST would make the sun rise after 9 am, but there are many more parts of the country where the sun sets before 5 pm in the winter. I'm not too far from the Mexican border & it sets at 4:45 on the shortest days. It never rises much later than 7:00 at any time of the year. If we kept everything one hour later than it was in the 19th century (when most people were farmers & had to get up at 5), it would always be light when most modern folks are driving to work & would still be light when they're driving home. This would prevent countless car accidents caused by poor visibility.