US Midterm Elections 2026 Election Day: Voting Underway Across America
US Midterm Elections 2026 Election Day voting is under way across the United States on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, with voters deciding control of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s second term. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats are on the ballot, alongside governorships in 36 states.
Polling opened first in Vermont at 5am Eastern Time, with further states opening through the morning, and polls close in waves into the night, with Alaska the last to close at around 1am Eastern Time on Wednesday. More than 57 million Americans had already cast early ballots before Election Day, according to University of Florida Election Lab figures reported on 3 November 2026.
No result is claimed in this article. Polls close at different times by state, and counts continue after polls close, so control of either chamber cannot be settled from Election Day voting alone until ballots are counted and races are called.
| US Midterm Elections 2026 Election Day — Quick Reference Summary | Detail |
|---|---|
| Election Day | Tuesday, 3 November 2026 |
| House seats on the ballot | All 435 seats; 218 seats form a majority |
| Senate seats on the ballot | 35 of 100 seats |
| Governorships on the ballot | 36 states |
| Current House balance | Republicans 218, Democrats 214, with two vacancies and one independent member caucusing with Republicans, as reported on 3 November 2026 |
| Current Senate balance | Republicans 53, Democrats 47 (including independents caucusing with Democrats) |
| Early ballots before Election Day | More than 57 million, per University of Florida Election Lab figures reported on 3 November 2026 |
| First polls to open | Vermont, 5am Eastern Time (10:00 GMT) |
| Last polls to close | Alaska, around 1am Eastern Time on Wednesday (06:00 GMT) |
How the first polls opened and when the last ones close
Al Jazeera’s poll opening and closing times for 3 November 2026 put Vermont first at 5am Eastern Time, followed by New Jersey, Virginia, Connecticut and Kentucky at 6am. Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania and New York open between 6am and 7am, while Ohio and North Carolina open at 6:30am and Michigan at 7am.
Closures are staggered in the same way. The earliest closures fall at 6pm Eastern Time in Indiana and Kentucky, with Michigan closing at 8pm Eastern Time and Iowa at 8pm Central Time. Alaska closes last, at around 1am Eastern Time on Wednesday, so a full national picture only emerges overnight.
What voters are deciding in the House and Senate
The House contest covers every voting seat, so even a small national swing can change which party holds the chamber. The Senate contest covers roughly a third of seats, including two special elections in Florida and Ohio, and the current 53-47 Republican balance means the chamber turns on a small number of close state races.
Dawn’s explainer on the 2026 US midterm elections notes that more than 100 million people could cast ballots if turnout resembles the 2022 midterms, and that advertising spending had already passed $3.8 billion by mid-October. The same explainer lists Maine, Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa and Georgia among the Senate races that could decide the outcome.
Why early voting figures matter, and what they do not prove
Early voting passed the entire 2022 midterm early total of about 45.9 million ballots well before Election Day, reaching more than 57 million. That is a record for a midterm, but it does not by itself show which party is winning, because early votes also shift ballots that would otherwise have been cast on Election Day.
Reporting on party breakdowns of early ballots varies by state and by snapshot time, so this article does not treat any single early-vote party split as a result. The decisive question on the day is turnout in the states and districts where the final polls were closest.
Final polls point one way nationally, while the Senate stays close
Final national polls put Democrats ahead on the generic congressional ballot. A Reuters/Ipsos survey reported on 3 November 2026 gave Democrats 46% against 38% for Republicans, with President Trump’s approval at 32%, just above his record-low reading of 31% two weeks earlier.
Nate Silver’s final polling average gave Democrats an advantage of about 8.9 points, or 9.2 points after adjusting for likely voters. State polls told a tighter story in the Senate, with Democratic candidates ahead in Texas, Ohio, Michigan and Alaska in final New York Times/Siena polling reported on 3 November, and Iowa effectively tied.
Polls are estimates, not results. A national lead does not automatically convert into the exact seats needed in each chamber, and Senate control in particular will be settled state by state as counts come in.
What happens after the polls close
Election officials release vote counts as ballots are processed, while news organisations analyse results and decide when a race can be called. Some races will be called on Tuesday night, while others will remain uncalled into Wednesday as mail ballots and close contests are counted.
For readers following the count, the useful markers are not national vote totals alone but the called races in the closest Senate states and the House districts both parties targeted through the final week. Related international coverage on this site includes the UK-EU draft deal to scrap Brexit red tape over food exports, published earlier today.
Frequently asked questions about the US Midterm Elections 2026 Election Day
When is the US Midterm Elections 2026 Election Day? Tuesday, 3 November 2026, with polls opening from 5am Eastern Time in Vermont and closing last in Alaska at around 1am Eastern Time on Wednesday.
What is on the ballot? All 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, governorships in 36 states, and state legislative and local races across the country.
Is the president on the ballot? No. Midterm elections fall halfway through a presidential term, so Donald Trump is not on the ballot, although he has campaigned as though the vote were a verdict on his presidency.
How many people voted early? More than 57 million ballots were cast before Election Day, according to University of Florida Election Lab figures reported on 3 November 2026, already above the about 45.9 million early votes cast in the whole 2022 midterm.
When will the results be known? First results arrive on Tuesday as polls close, but some races will not be called until Wednesday, and close contests can take longer as remaining ballots are counted.
