For daily wit & wisdom, get the Almanac newsletter.

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Many Americans feel that changing clocks is outdated.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

More Like This

Comments

<span>Michael Lynn</span> Wed, 11/24/2021 - 19:56
I would like to have extended daylight. It's dark at 6pm and that's not good. Plus I'm certain that people in today's time, especially, could benefit from more natural D3.
<span>Jimmy</span> Thu, 03/17/2022 - 18:15
The best way to get extended daylight is living in southern states such as Florida.
<span>Vic</span> Sat, 11/20/2021 - 20:38
I guarantee half the people who *don't* want Daylight Savings Time year-round don't know what it is, and think it's the winter one. So the amount of people who *do* want Daylight Savings Time (more light later) is probably higher than the polls indicate.
<span>Eric</span> Sat, 12/25/2021 - 05:58
That is rather presumptuous of you. For every person who grumbles about the (seeming) loss of an hour's daylight in the evening after the fall back, there is another like me who grumbles about losing an hour of sleep after the spring forward. I don't like the clock changes either, but I'd rather that than I could live with year-round DST. DST only makes sense in the Summer. The article says DST was tried at various times and people didn't like it. Now for some reason everyone is (supposedly) in favor of permanent DST? Why? My theory is that since Congress changed the dates of the fall back from Oct to early November, people now notice the darker evenings more starkly. When the fall-back date was in October, there is still a certain amount of daylight on some people's commute home, but now it's a sudden dropoff. The fall back would be even better if it occurred in late Sept, say on the Sunday after the Equinox. Why is it better to have dark mornings than dark evenings? Here's an idea: why not get rid of DST altogether so we're on the correct time, and live with it? No clock changes means no sudden darkness in early November (and no loss of sleep in March). The correct time by the way is when the clock says 12:00 noon at or as close as possible to the time when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. That's why the 12 is at the top of the clock. Why should you people get your way over those of us who want the clock to tell the correct time? Are we soon going to have to live though this dumb experiment again and then have to reverse it again when people realize their morning commutes suck and their kids and being pried out of bed and sent to school in the dark? Standard time in Winter is perfect for school hours, 9ish to 3ish, with noon (midday) right in the middle. For everyone else, maybe you should petition for different hours. I think fewer people are working the old 9-5 hours these days anyway. The screwy map of the world's current time zones is a result of governments/voters tinkering with what used to be a sensible system.
<span>Sj</span> Tue, 03/08/2022 - 06:59
It doesn't get dark until 10 pm in July/August in Michigan.....I could easily give up the later hour for an earlier hour of light.
<span>Melissa</span> Thu, 11/18/2021 - 08:52
As a homesteader in TN, DST is a necessity in order to more easily put up ivestock in the evenings (think mountains on 3 sides with black bear, mountain lions, bobcats, coyote, fox, etc) plus allows me to let them forage longer. We may technically adhere to standard time for conducting banking, shipping, etc but we don't change our clocks bc the days naturally shorten enough with the changing of the seasons. I operate on DST year round. I found that it took us a month to adjust to time changes, seriously messing with our sleep patterns. Luckily our kids are grown so there's no need for us to change our clocks to adhere to antiquated mandates. We do what works for us, the government be damned. We aren't 100% off grid but are seriously close as the only state, city or county service available is electricity, if you can afford the fortune it takes to get lines run to your property, it cost us over $13k & is actually our "backup plan" for heat when we become too old to cut firewood. Our roads leading to our property aren't county maintained, there's no cell phone signals, no cable, no landlines, no sewers, no water, (thankfully we have water aplenty). So with no government services other than a mailbox 2 miles from our land, why would we allow the government to tell us what time to go by? We're not the only ones who don't change our clocks. The people we barter with for food & help all leave their clocks alone. Like the article mentions, a dairy cow doesn't change production just bc a bunch of bureaucrats deem it so. Our chickens & hogs also stick to their biological clocks when foraging & start heading towards their predator proof housing accordingly. So, we do what we want based on what works best for us & with a solar factor of only 50% due to the terrain, DST works best for us & we stay on it. I don't need the government's permission & my livestock definitely doesn't bc udders hurt when not milked at consistent times & who wants them to suffer? Not I! They come first & the government comes last, always! Heck, we don't even have a true police presence, only game wardens & there's precious few of them where we are. Thankfully we don't have state income tax otherwise we'd be upset at the lack of services available. We pay our federal taxes so that we have interstates, protection from foreign invaders & to provide currency standards, to us, that's their only purpose for existing & we all know they do a poor job of those much less the rest of the money they waste! The closest hospital in state is 2hrs away on the other side of the Cherokee National Forest. In emergencies, we drive to GA thanks to Obamacare which determined ours should close & did. There's enough government interference w/o letting them determine when we sleep & when we don't. Some things in life should be ours to determine & sleep should definitely be up to us to determine! I guess that's why TN went on record as wanting DST permanently!
<span>Deborah King</span> Wed, 11/17/2021 - 19:11
I would like to have DST year round. In Texas, it is now dark at 6pm. Have to do evening chores by flashlight. No after dinner walks, and at 70 these are important.
<span>Dirk</span> Mon, 11/15/2021 - 10:29
Some states it makes sense for permanent DST and others it makes sense for Standard time. For examples, Florida would benefit from DST all the time, In Indiana this would push sunset in the middle of summer back to almost 10pm because they are on the extreme western edge of the Eastern Time zone. So let's get rid of changing the clocks but be sensitive about where it would help and where it would not.
<span>Dan P</span> Sun, 11/14/2021 - 14:17
I totally in favor of permanent Daylight Saving Time! There are many more benefits to permanent DST over permanent standard time! Let’s get rid of standard time once and for all!!
<span>Shannon</span> Sun, 11/14/2021 - 00:40
Like others, I don't care which one we do, but just pick one and leave it. I hate changing time, it's senseless.