When Are the 2026 Midterm Elections?
The 2026 midterm elections are on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Federal law fixes Election Day for Congress as “the Tuesday next after the 1st Monday in November, in every even numbered year” (2 U.S.C. 7), and senators are chosen at that same election (2 U.S.C. 1). Early voting and mail voting start weeks sooner in most states, so for many people the election is already underway.
- Nov. 3
- Election Day 2026
- 435
- U.S. House seats, every one
- 35
- U.S. Senate seats
- 36
- Governor races
Key facts
- All 435 House districts are up, and 60 House members, 23 Democrats and 37 Republicans, are not running again (Ballotpedia).
- 33 Senate seats are up on schedule plus special elections in Florida and Ohio, for 35 in all (Ballotpedia).
- 36 states elect a governor, and 19 of those seats have no incumbent on the ballot (Ballotpedia).
- The president’s party lost House seats in 20 of the 23 midterms from 1934 to 2022 (American Presidency Project).
What Are Midterm Elections?
Midterm elections are the federal elections held two years into a president’s four-year term. The Constitution gives House members two-year terms and senators six-year terms, staggered so about a third of the Senate is chosen every two years (U.S. Constitution, Article I). Voters have elected senators directly since the 17th Amendment took effect in 1913. That leaves a full House election and a third of the Senate in the middle of every presidency. The name only describes the timing. The same ballot also carries governors, state legislators, judges, mayors, school boards and ballot measures, which decide much of the law you live under.
Midterm and presidential elections compared
Source: 2 U.S.C. 1 and 7; U.S. Constitution, Article I; Ballotpedia
What Is on the 2026 Ballot
Nationally, the 2026 ballot decides control of the House, the Senate and 36 governorships. Republicans hold the Senate 53 to 45, and the 2 independents caucus with Democrats (Senate.gov). Democrats need a net gain of 4 seats for a Senate majority, according to Ballotpedia. In the House, Republicans hold 218 seats and Democrats 214, with 1 independent who caucuses with Republicans and 2 vacant seats (House Clerk). A full House majority is 218 seats.
- House: all 435 seats. Ballotpedia counts 60 members not running for re-election as of September 3.
- Senate: 33 regular seats in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming. Special elections in Florida and Ohio fill the last two years of the term Marco Rubio won in 2022 and the last two years of the term J.D. Vance won in 2022.
- Governors: 36 races. Each party holds 18 of the seats up. 15 governors are term-limited and cannot run, and 19 seats in all are open. Every race and nominee is in our 2026 governor races guide.
Your own ballot will also carry state and local races. Look it up before you vote with your county election office or the tools in How to Vote. If you live in Texas, see what is on the Texas ballot and the Texas Senate race.
How Midterms Affect the President
The president is not on the ballot, but a midterm decides how much of the president’s agenda can pass Congress. The majority party in each chamber chooses its leaders and chairs every committee, so it controls which bills get a vote and which investigations go forward. Some powers belong to one chamber alone:
What control of each chamber decides
Source: U.S. Constitution, Article I, Sections 2, 3 and 7; Article II, Section 2
When the president’s party loses a chamber, the president keeps the veto and the executive branch, but new laws need the other party’s votes. That is why both parties treat the midterms as a vote on the president, even with no presidential race. For how the Senate’s rules shape what passes, see our filibuster explainer.
Midterm Results Since 1934
The president’s party has lost House seats in 20 of the last 23 midterm elections. The only gains came in 1934, 1998, 2002. Across all 23 midterms from 1934 to 2022, the average change was -27 House seats for the president’s party. The worst was 1938, when Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Democrats lost 72. In the Senate the pattern is weaker: the president’s party lost seats in 15 of the 23.
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| 1934 (Roosevelt, D) | 9 |
| 1938 (Roosevelt, D) | -72 |
| 1942 (Roosevelt, D) | -45 |
| 1946 (Truman, D) | -56 |
| 1950 (Truman, D) | -28 |
| 1954 (Eisenhower, R) | -18 |
| 1958 (Eisenhower, R) | -48 |
| 1962 (Kennedy, D) | -4 |
| 1966 (Johnson, D) | -47 |
| 1970 (Nixon, R) | -12 |
| 1974 (Ford, R) | -48 |
| 1978 (Carter, D) | -15 |
| 1982 (Reagan, R) | -26 |
| 1986 (Reagan, R) | -5 |
| 1990 (Bush, R) | -8 |
| 1994 (Clinton, D) | -54 |
| 1998 (Clinton, D) | 4 |
| 2002 (Bush, R) | 8 |
| 2006 (Bush, R) | -30 |
| 2010 (Obama, D) | -63 |
| 2014 (Obama, D) | -13 |
| 2018 (Trump, R) | -41 |
| 2022 (Biden, D) | -9 |
Source: The American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara, computed from the House historian's party divisions after each election. Negative numbers are losses.
Since 1990 the average loss has been 23 seats. For 2026, the American Presidency Project counts 220 House seats and 20 of the 33 regular Senate seats for the president’s party to defend (American Presidency Project). History is a pattern, not a forecast.
Can a President Cancel the Midterms?
No. A president has no power to cancel, delay or move the midterm elections. Congress set Election Day by statute, and only a new law passed by Congress could change it (2 U.S.C. 7). The Constitution gives states the job of running elections, subject to rules Congress sets (Article I, Section 4). Neither provision gives the president any power over the date.
The terms end on their own. The 20th Amendment ends every House member’s term and a third of senators’ terms at noon on January 3 of the next odd-numbered year (20th Amendment). Skipping an election would not keep the old members in office, because their terms would still end on that day. The midterms went ahead in 1942, in the middle of World War II, as the American Presidency Project’s table records.
How to Vote in the Midterms
To vote on November 3, you must be registered in your state, and state deadlines run from October 4 to November 2. In 21 states and D.C. you can also register and vote on Election Day. Check your registration now, find your deadline and your early voting dates, and make a plan for how you will vote.
Your midterm voting plan
- Today Check your registration Confirm your name and address are current with your state or county election office.
- By your deadline Register or update State deadlines run from October 4 to November 2. 21 states and D.C. let you register on Election Day.
- October Pick how you vote Early in person, by mail if your state allows it, or on Election Day.
- Before you go Read your sample ballot Your county posts it before early voting. Look up the local races and ballot measures.
- November 3 Vote Bring the ID your state requires. If you are in line when polls close, stay in line.
Deadlines, ID rules and mail voting differ by state. See our voter registration guide for your state's rules.
Your state’s deadline and rules are in our voter registration guide. For how parties picked their nominees, see primary elections.
If your situation is different
Open the one closest to yours.
I moved since the last election
- Update your registration at your new address before your state's deadline.
- If you moved within your state and missed the deadline, ask your county whether you can vote at your old polling place or cast a provisional ballot.
I will be away on November 3
- Vote early in person if your state offers it.
- Request a mail or absentee ballot now. Check your state's request deadline and whether you need a reason.
I am not sure I am registered
- Look yourself up on your state election office's website or at vote.gov.
- If you are missing and the deadline has not passed, register again.
Something goes wrong at the polls
- Ask for a provisional ballot if your name is not on the list.
- Call the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).
Common Questions
When are the 2026 midterm elections?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Federal law sets it as the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. Many states open early voting weeks before, and mail ballots can arrive sooner. New members of Congress take office on January 3, 2027.
What are midterm elections?
Midterm elections are the federal elections held halfway through a president’s four-year term. In 2026 voters elect all 435 members of the U.S. House, 35 U.S. senators and 36 governors, along with state legislators, local officials and ballot measures.
Do midterm elections affect the president?
Yes, though the president is not on the ballot. The party that wins the House controls which bills reach a vote and which investigations and subpoenas go forward, and only the House can impeach. The Senate confirms judges and Cabinet officers. Since 1934, the president’s party has lost House seats in 20 of 23 midterms.
Can a president cancel the midterm elections?
No. Congress set the date by law, and only Congress can change it. States run the elections. The Constitution ends every House term and a third of Senate terms at noon on January 3 of the following year whether or not an election is held, so there is no way to extend them by skipping one.
What happens if the president's party loses the House?
The other party elects the Speaker and runs the committees. It decides which bills get votes and can open investigations and issue subpoenas. The president can still veto bills, and a veto override takes two-thirds of both chambers.
How many Senate seats are up in 2026?
35. 33 are regular elections, 13 held by Democrats and 20 by Republicans, plus special elections in Florida and Ohio for the last two years of the terms Marco Rubio and J.D. Vance won in 2022.
What You Can Do
- Check your registration today. In 15 states the in-person deadline was October 5 or earlier, while 21 states and D.C. let you register at the polls on November 3. Start with our voter registration guide.
- Make a plan. Pick early, mail or Election Day voting, and put the date on your calendar. Vote Sticker turns your state’s dates into a free profile picture, so the plan reaches your friends too.
- Read your whole ballot. Look up your governor, state legislature and local races, not just Congress. Our governor races guide lists every nominee.
- Bring someone with you. Offer a ride, split a sample ballot, or vote early together.
- Know who to call. Save 866-OUR-VOTE in your phone before you go.