Americans are voting on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in midterm elections that will decide control of the United States Congress, 36 governorships and thousands of state and local offices, according to The Canadian Press and election guides published ahead of polling day. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are on the ballot, along with 35 Senate seats — 33 regular seats plus two special elections — and Republicans are defending narrow majorities in both chambers. Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to take the majority, according to election trackers. The election is the first nationwide test of voter sentiment since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. Although the president is not on the ballot, midterm elections are widely treated as referendums on the sitting president and the party in power, and historically the president's party has lost House seats in the large majority of midterms. Issues weighing on the campaign include the economy and affordability, the ongoing Iran war that began in February 2026, and a Federal Reserve that raised interest rates in September for the first time since 2023, according to election coverage. Ballot measures in several states span redistricting, abortion rights and a proposed billionaire tax in California. Polls close in waves from 7:30 p.m. Eastern, with final polls closing in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington at 11 p.m. Eastern, and results will arrive in stages through the night. The outcome will shape the final two years of the Trump presidency, including oversight powers, confirmation fights, spending bills and the response to the Iran war.
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