Midterm elections 2026: what time do the polls close today?
Though President Trump’s name is not on the ballot, voters are weighing the effects of his agenda in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Key points
- They’ll need to gain four seats in the Senate to secure a 51-seat majority, and win at least 218 seats to take back the House.
- There are also several ballot measures across the country on issues ranging from election administration to abortion access.
- Strategists in both parties say it is likely that Democrats will wrest back control of the House, but the battle for the Senate is more complicated.
Here’s an hour-by-hour rundown of when polls close around the US, and some of the key races taking place In the 2026 US midterm cycle, there are 35 Senate seats up for election, 36 governors’ races and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives up for grabs.
Lisa Lerer, a national political reporter for The New York Times, describes how three crucial issues are affecting their decisions.
Additional details
- Democrats are looking to reclaim control of both chambers of Congress.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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Every article behind this summary — 3 articles from 2 outlets
NYT PoliticsNovember 3, 2026, 11:28 AM UTC →
The Guardian WorldNovember 3, 2026, 10:00 AM UTC →
NYT PoliticsNovember 2, 2026, 10:15 PM UTC →
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