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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Many Americans feel that changing clocks is outdated.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>Zane</span> Fri, 11/04/2022 - 17:59
There are 435 US voting representatives in the House; And there are 335,522,783 US population, Why not let the people vote for what the Majority of the population wants, not what 435 representatives (think) we want! It's called a democracy.
<span>Rick Hess</span> Sat, 11/05/2022 - 00:48
Sorry Zane, we are NOT a democracy, we are a representative republic and that's why we elect Representatives to be our voice. A true democracy is also known as mob rule, where 50.1% can rule over the other 49.9%. That's why the writers wrote the Constitution the way they did, to preclude America from becoming a democracy.
<span>Randy Jegs</span> Sun, 11/06/2022 - 02:10
Tis true...we are a constitutional republic.
<span>V Currey</span> Fri, 11/04/2022 - 19:47
I agree with Zane.. put it to a vote by the people. I, for one, don’t like the changes each season. It’s a bother to remember, to change all clocks in the house, for my body to keep adjusting, for children to understand, for businesses, for hospitals. Etc…
<span>Sherry Gertz</span> Fri, 11/04/2022 - 14:16
i hate when it is dark in the morning.. to hard to get up..... i want standard time always.......
<span>Terri</span> Fri, 11/04/2022 - 11:14
I like standard time better because I can sleep better during standard time. When the clock changes to DST it throws off my sleep until it changes back to standard time in the fall. So I’m definitely for having standard time all year round.
<span>Georgis</span> Fri, 11/04/2022 - 09:08
Just pick one! ALL the arguments about which end of the day is better with "more" sunlight FAIL when you also account for east to west variations within a time zone. I grew up on the west edge of a time zone, and when I was young, my bedtime (set by the clock) was before sunset in the summer. That's stupid. There is also significant a significant difference in the hours of daylight between the northern and southern areas of the continental states. Don't like the amount of daylight you have to work with? Find another place to live and work. Don't have that option? Then aren't gradual changes to your day better than an abrupt shift twice a year? Another argument failure: Everyone who asserts there will be fewer traffic accidents in the evening rush hour because of more daylight are totally ignoring any accidents that occur in the morning when it's not only dark, your sleep cycle was disrupted for the first few days/weeks (varies with the individual). This and the energy-saving argument only look at the "positive" change that occurs at one end without consideration for the possibility that negative changes at the other end might be worse - or at best, balance out. And stop changing the rules! Computer maintenance and day-to-day functioning is disrupted. We humans can deal with the artificial changes, albeit with varying degrees of comfort and success, but an automated process that is scheduled to happen at XX o'clock, or every YY hours, has to be manually adjusted twice a year. And things break when that happens. AND no sooner did some computer operating systems get smart enough to calculate the 2nd Sundays in April and October, but Congress changes the time periods; we were back to manual time changes for a while. Didn't we used to check our smoke detectors and change out critical batteries twice a year, "when the time changes", which used to be 6 months apart? Now we're 8 months on, 4 months off, which isn't a handy semi-annual reminder for anything. Just pick one! As the article states, farmers don't like it. Well, how'd you like to be a factory shift worker? Do you think the factories shutdown for an hour in the fall? No, some union work rule has to be finagled so that people who work 8 hours on a time clock still get paid overtime for the extra hour that slips in mid-shift. Oh, different finagling in the spring, when some people only work 7 hours because of the mid-shift change - but you can bet they get paid for the 8 hours that the time clock shows. Or let's look at hospitals - nursing shift changes are typically every 8 hours (some finagling for shorter or longer shifts, but mostly the same as factory workers). Now, does your family member in the intensive care unit get their meds (or other specialized care) at 2AM or the other 2AM? Or having gotten their every-8-hours-dose at midnight, does the hospital gradually shift them say 5 or 10 minutes per day, or all in one chunk? Policy varies by the hospital. May not seem like that big a deal for most situations or short hospital stays, but I assure you, it IS a big deal for premature babies that may need to be fed every 2 hours. I could go on. I wish I didn't have to. Just Pick One and Stick With It!!!
<span>M. E.</span> Fri, 11/04/2022 - 14:53
georgis has totally hit the nail on the head!! Yes, georgis could have gone on with much, much more information. So, so many excellent points!! Sure wish 'our leaders' could see, hear and stop trying to 'fix' everything. This could also be placed on the ballot for 'us' to be able to speak UP. JUST PICK ONE AND STICK WITH IT!!!!!!!
<span>Jdmoon49</span> Fri, 11/04/2022 - 07:21
I like standard time. It just feels natural to me. Springing forward in the spring throws my body off, especially when I was working. If I was a dairy farmer or any other livestock farmer, I would really despise it. Animals don't use a watch. Milking time is still the same to them.
<span>Sherry</span> Fri, 11/04/2022 - 07:02
They should just split it 30 minutes, then both side would maybe be somewhat happy! I do not care either way, just wish they would stop changing it, either way if they leave it alone everyone would adjust.