The 2026 U.S. midterm elections
U.S. Politics & Government
Last updated
The big picture
Midterm elections take place halfway through a president’s four-year term. They decide who represents voters in Congress and which party controls each chamber for the following two years. Every House seat is contested, while Senate terms are staggered so that roughly a third come up in each election cycle. The 2026 general election is scheduled for November 3, with registration, early voting and mail-ballot arrangements varying by state. A congressional election is therefore both a national struggle over power and a collection of local contests with different candidates and rules. Understanding those rules matters as much as following national polling, especially when voters have recently changed districts or are voting by mail.
Where things stand
Five days before the election, Alaska’s governor ordered an investigation into alleged spoiler recruitment. The campaign denies wrongdoing; the inquiry has not established guilt.
Key facts
- All 435 House seats normally face election every two years.
- Senators serve six-year terms; not every state has a Senate race in every midterm.
- Pennsylvania requires mail and civilian absentee ballots to arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
How we got here
Earlier milestones (1)
California’s county officials begin mailing ballots and opening secure drop-off locations.
California’s regular online registration deadline passes; same-day registration remains available through Election Day.
Early in-person vote centers begin opening in California’s Voter’s Choice Act counties.
Blanche defends the Alaska certification lawsuit.
The Washington ballot demand expands the federal intervention.
Alaska orders an investigation into campaign recruitment allegations.
What happens next
- Unresolved follow-up to the 2026-10-28 deadline: Washington faces a noon deadline in the federal letter; legal relief is threatened, not already granted.
- : General election; check state officials for local voting deadlines.
Related Daily Edition coverage
- — Alaska opens inquiry into alleged Senate ballot manipulation
- — Federal ballot demands expand to Washington after California appeal fails
- — Justice Department defends a lawsuit over two similarly named Senate candidates
- — Supreme Court lets New Hampshire reject student IDs for voting
- — Judge restricts specified DHS election investigations in nine states
- — Democrats sue over federal pressure on state voter rolls