Americans Vote in 2026 Midterm Elections as Control of Congress Is at Stake
Voters are casting ballots for all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships. Early voting already passed 54 million ballots, according to the Associated Press, and the first polls close at 6 p.m. ET.
Americans are voting on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in midterm elections that will decide which party controls Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to Fox News.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are on the ballot, along with 35 of the 100 Senate seats and governorships in 36 states. Voters are also deciding state legislative races in all but four states and 145 statewide ballot measures, Fox News reported.
In the House, Democrats need a net gain of three seats to reach 218 and take the majority. In the Senate, Republicans now hold a 53-47 edge, so Democrats need a net gain of four seats, while Republicans need to hold at least 50 seats because Vice President JD Vance casts the tie-breaking vote, according to Fox News. The Fox News Power Rankings, along with many leading nonpartisan handicappers, point to Democrats retaking the House, with control of the Senate rated a toss-up heading into Election Day.
Record early voting, and a close polling picture
More than 54 million people had already cast ballots before Election Day, according to the Associated Press, as reported by Fox News. That is nearly nine million more early ballots than in the 2022 midterms. Polls indicate Democrats are more energized than Republicans to vote, and Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters told Fox News Digital that Election Day turnout would decide the outcome, saying, “If our voters turn out, we win.”
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday put Trump’s approval rating at 32 percent, unchanged from the previous week and one point above the record low of 31 percent recorded in the same poll in October, USA Today reported. Democrats held an eight-point advantage on the generic congressional ballot in that poll, down from an 11-point lead the week before. Reuters/Ipsos surveyed 1,765 adults from October 29 to November 2, with a margin of error of about 2 percentage points.
One race to watch is in Kansas, where the Fox News Power Rankings moved the Senate race from Lean Republican to Toss-up. Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton is challenging Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and aims to become the first Democrat in nearly a century to win a Senate election in Kansas, according to Fox News.
When polls close
The first polls close at 6 p.m. ET in parts of Kentucky and Indiana, with closings rolling across the country through the evening. Polls in California and Washington state close at 11 p.m. ET, and the last polls in Alaska close at 1 a.m. ET, according to Fox News. Trump told supporters Sunday night in Kansas that Republicans would hold both chambers, saying, “We’re going to win and let’s make the next two years bigger and better and stronger than ever before.”
Reporting based on coverage by Fox News and USA Today.
