US Voters Head to Polls on November 3 as Control of Congress Hangs on Midterm Results

American voters will cast ballots on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in midterm elections that will decide control of both chambers of Congress. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up. Thirty-five of the 100 Senate seats are contested, including two special elections in Florida and Ohio. Thirty-six states will also elect governors.

Republicans currently hold 218 seats in the House to the Democrats' 214, with two vacancies. In the Senate, Republicans hold 53 seats, Democrats 45, and two independents caucus with the Democrats. A shift of a few seats in either chamber would change which party sets the agenda for the final two years of President Donald Trump's current term.

Final national polls released before Election Day showed Democrats ahead on the generic congressional ballot. Specific Senate races remain close in several states. In Michigan, the Democratic primary winner Abdul El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers after Representative Haley Stevens, who lost the primary to El-Sayed, endorsed Rogers on November 1. In Alaska, Democratic challenger Mary Peltola holds a narrow lead over incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan in recent surveys. A federal judge dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit that sought to block certification if Sullivan lost, citing the presence of two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot.

President Trump has campaigned in several states in the final days. On November 1 he appeared in Iowa for Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson. Vice President JD Vance was scheduled to campaign in Ohio on November 2. Both parties have focused on turnout operations and last-minute messaging on inflation, border security and energy prices.

Early voting and mail ballots have already been cast in large numbers. State rules vary on when those ballots can be processed. Some states begin counting mail ballots on Election Day morning. Others start earlier. Results in close races may take days to finalize. Georgia holds runoffs if no candidate reaches a majority. Most states certify results in late November or December. The new Congress convenes on January 3, 2027, unless Congress changes the date.

The Senate map favors Republicans on paper because more Democratic-held seats are up in this cycle. Democrats need to hold their own seats and flip several Republican ones to take the majority. In the House, Democrats need a net gain of four seats to reach 218. Both parties have identified a small number of competitive districts that will decide the outcome.

Special elections fill the remaining terms of seats vacated by Marco Rubio, who became secretary of state, and JD Vance, who became vice president. Republican appointees Ashley Moody in Florida and Jon Husted in Ohio are running to keep those seats. Both races have drawn national spending.

State-level races will also shape redistricting and election administration for 2028. Several governor's races are rated as toss-ups. Ballot measures on abortion, taxes and criminal justice appear in multiple states. Local offices and state legislative chambers are on the ballot as well.

Polling places open as early as 5 a.m. local time in some areas and close between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. depending on the state. The first results are expected from parts of Indiana and Kentucky after 6 p.m. Eastern. Major networks and the Associated Press will project winners based on vote counts and statistical models. Close races may remain uncalled for hours or longer.

As of November 2, both campaigns continue final get-out-the-vote efforts. Legal challenges over voter rolls, ballot design and polling-place access have already been filed in several states. A federal judge in California issued a preliminary injunction limiting certain Department of Homeland Security field operations near polling places in nine states until the polls close. The injunction covers California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.

The results will determine whether Trump faces a unified Republican Congress or a divided one for the remainder of his term. They will also set the terms for any further legislative action on tariffs, immigration enforcement and spending. Both parties have said they are prepared for contested outcomes and possible recounts in the closest races.