Election Day 2026: Voters Decide Control of Congress, 36 Governor's Races, After 50 Million Voted Early
The midterms arrive with more than 50 million ballots already cast: every House seat, a third of the Senate, and governors in 36 states are on the line Tuesday, and anyone in line when the polls close still votes.
The campaign is over; the counting is next. The U.S. midterm elections take place on Tuesday, November 3, with early voting already opened and more than 50 million Americans having cast their ballots so far, in The Sun's Election Day guide read by the desk this cycle. Americans will vote for governors in 36 of the 50 states, and nearly every state will hold elections for its state-level legislative bodies — while the biggest purpose of the midterm election is determining which party controls Congress.
These elections will not affect who the president is — whatever happens, President Donald Trump will still be in power — and that is exactly what makes the day a referendum-shaped test of his second term, fought district by district and state by state. In the previous midterm, more than 100 million people cast their ballots; Tuesday's early-vote total, past 50 million before a single Election Day poll opened, is the record-setting base this year's turnout builds on.
The practical rules are the ones the desk repeats every cycle. Polling hours vary by state and county — most polling places open between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. and close between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., with Texas, like Georgia and Florida, voting 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. — and voters should check with their local election office to confirm the exact hours for their site. If you are in line when the polls close, you are still entitled to cast your vote: voters have been advised to stay in line even if the closing time has passed. Results begin when the first polls close Tuesday evening, and the station's results-night coverage follows the Texas returns first.
