Election Day 2026: House, Senate, Governors and Ballot Measures

Americans vote today in midterm elections that will decide which party controls the House and Senate for the last two years of Donald Trump’s presidency. Republicans are defending narrow majorities in both chambers, while polls and nonpartisan handicappers point to Democrats likely taking the House and a Senate majority that is too close to call, according to Fox News.

What happened

Republicans hold the Senate 53-47 and a razor-thin House majority. Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats and just three House seats to take control. Because Vice President JD Vance breaks Senate ties, Republicans must hold at least 50 seats to keep the chamber.

Early voting has already broken records: more than 54 million ballots were cast before Election Day, nearly nine million more than in 2022, according to the Associated Press. Polls indicate Democrats are more energized about voting, and Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters told Fox News Digital that GOP chances depend on turnout: “If our voters turn out, we win.”

Trump, who predicted the GOP would hold both chambers, rallied in Kansas on Sunday night, calling it his 30th rally in a month. Hours earlier, the Fox News Power Rankings moved Kansas’s Senate race from Lean Republican to Toss-up, where Democrat Adam Hamilton, a pastor, is trying to unseat Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.

Beyond Congress, 36 governorships, legislative seats in all but four states and 145 statewide ballot measures are on the ballot.

Why it matters

If Democrats win the House, they gain subpoena power and the ability to block Trump’s legislative agenda; a Senate majority would also control confirmations. The source notes that a strong Democratic night could yield up to 240 House seats, while a strong Republican night could leave Democrats with 212 — enough to complicate a Democratic speaker’s ability to hold together moderates and the party’s left wing.

History favors Democrats: the party holding the White House typically loses seats in midterms. The GOP also faces persistent inflation, an unpopular war with Iran and Trump’s negative approval ratings, the source reports.

Key facts at a glance

What this means for you

• Expect delays. Results in close races may not be known on election night, especially with record early voting and toss-up states like Kansas, Ohio and Maine.
• Watch early-closing districts. Kentucky’s 6th District, which Trump won by 15 points, is seen as an early signal of House control.
• Check your ballot. Beyond Congress, your vote may decide governorships, state legislative seats and measures on taxes, abortion, redistricting and voting rules.

Frequently asked questions

What time do polls close?

Closings begin at 6 p.m. ET in parts of Kentucky and Indiana and end at 1 a.m. ET in Alaska. Key states: 7 p.m. (Georgia, Virginia), 7:30 p.m. (North Carolina, Ohio), 8 p.m. (Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan), 9 p.m. (Arizona, Wisconsin), 11 p.m. (California).

What Senate seats are most competitive?

Republicans are defending toss-up races in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas, plus Kansas (Lean Republican) and Ohio (Lean Democrat). Democrats are defending Michigan, Minnesota and New Hampshire.

What are the major ballot measures?

Voter ID or noncitizen voting bans in 11 states; California’s Proposition 40, a one-time 5% wealth tax on billionaires; Washington state’s repeal of a 9.9% tax on income over $1 million; abortion measures in Missouri, Idaho, Virginia and Nevada; and transgender sports or care measures in several states.

What to watch next

The central unknown is whether polls have undercounted Republican turnout, as they did in some past cycles. Early results from Kentucky and Indiana, then toss-up Senate states, will indicate whether a Democratic wave is materializing.