Why do some states not have midterm elections on the 2026 Senate or gubernatorial map? As live election maps lit up across television networks and news portals following the November 3, 2026 vote, millions of Americans noticed huge gray gaps across major states—including California, New York, Washington, Indiana, and Pennsylvania—leading to a massive surge in people asking why are some states not voting, why do some states not have a Senate race, and why is there no US Senate race in California this year.
The short constitutional answer is that every single U.S. state held a federal midterm election in 2026 because all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are contested every two years. However, if you are wondering why do some states not have midterm elections for U.S. Senator or Governor on their 2026 ballot, the reason comes down to the U.S. Constitution’s staggered six-year Senate calendar (Classes I, II, and III) and individual state constitutions that schedule governor races in presidential or odd-numbered years. Below is the complete state-by-state breakdown of why 16 states had no U.S. Senate race and 14 states had no gubernatorial election in November 2026.
🗺️ Quick Summary: Why Your State Looks Gray on 2026 Midterm Maps
- Every State Voted for the U.S. House: No state skipped the 2026 midterms entirely. All 50 states voted to elect all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, who serve two-year terms.
- Why 16 States Had No U.S. Senate Race: Under Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, senators serve six-year terms divided into three staggered groups (Class I, Class II, and Class III). Only the 33 states with a Class II seat (plus 2 special elections in Ohio and Florida, totaling 35 seats across 34 states) voted for U.S. Senator in 2026. The remaining 16 states only have Class I and Class III senators, who are elected in 2024/2030 and 2028.
- Why Is There No US Senate Race in California? California’s two U.S. Senate seats belong to Class I (Adam Schiff, elected in 2024 for a term ending in 2031) and Class III (Alex Padilla, elected in 2022 for a term ending in 2029). Because California does not have a Class II seat, Californians only voted for Governor, all 52 U.S. House seats, and state ballot propositions in 2026.
- Why 14 States Had No Governor Race in 2026: Only 36 states hold gubernatorial elections during midterm years. Nine states elect governors during presidential election years (like 2024 and 2028), while five states hold off-year governor races in odd-numbered years (2025 and 2027).
Why Do Some States Not Have Midterm Elections on the 2026 Map?
When voters type why do some states not have midterm elections or why are some states not having an election into search engines, they are almost always looking at a network television map of the U.S. Senate or U.S. Governors where roughly one-third of the country is shaded gray (“No Election”).
To understand why a state can have a fierce midterm battle in one category while showing “No Race” in another, you have to separate the three major statewide and federal offices on an American ballot:
- The U.S. House of Representatives (All 50 States Vote): Every single congressional district across all 50 states holds an election every two years. Even if your state had no Senate race and no Governor race in 2026 (such as Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah, and Washington), every voter in those states still had a 2026 midterm ballot for their U.S. House representative and state legislators (read our full guide on why the midterm election is important and how it works).
- The U.S. Senate (Only 34 States Vote in 2026): Because each state only has two senators serving six-year terms, mathematically every state must have one federal election cycle every six years where neither of its two Senate seats is up for grabs.
- State Governors (Only 36 States Vote in 2026): Unlike Congress, gubernatorial election schedules are set by state constitutions, leaving 14 states without a governor race in 2026.
Why Do Some States Not Have a Senate Race? (Classes I, II & III Explained)
The exact constitutional reason why do some states not have a Senate race in 2026 dates back to 1789. When the First United States Congress convened, the Framers of the Constitution wanted the U.S. Senate to be a stable, continuous body that could never be completely replaced in a single wave election.
Under Article I, Section 3, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the Senate was divided as equally as possible into three classes:
- Class I (33 Senators): Last elected in 2024; next regular election in 2030.
- Class II (33 Senators): Contested in the November 3, 2026 midterm elections; next regular election in 2032.
- Class III (34 Senators): Last elected in 2022; next regular election in 2028.
Because each of the 50 states has exactly two senators, no state can have a senator in all three classes. Instead, every state is paired into two of the three classes (either Class I & II, Class II & III, or Class I & III). The 17 states whose senators belong exclusively to Class I and Class III normally have zero U.S. Senate races during the 2026 midterm cycle.
The 2026 Special Election Exception (Ohio): Normally, Ohio is one of those 17 states because its two seats belong to Class I and Class III. However, because Class III Senator JD Vance resigned in January 2025 to become Vice President of the United States, Ohio held a special Senate election in November 2026 (between appointed Republican Sen. Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown) to fill the remainder of that term through January 2029. Similarly, Florida—which has Class I and Class III seats—held a special election in 2026 for its Class III seat after Marco Rubio resigned to become Secretary of State.
Complete List: The 15 States With NO U.S. Senate Race in 2026
Once you account for the special elections in Ohio and Florida, exactly 15 states had zero U.S. Senate races on the November 3, 2026 ballot. If you live in one of the states listed in the table below and asked why do some states not have a Senate race this year, it is because both of your U.S. Senators belong to Class I (up in 2030) and Class III (up in 2028):
| State With No 2026 Senate Race | Class I Senator (Next Vote: 2030) | Class III Senator (Next Vote: 2028) | Did This State Vote for Governor in 2026? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Ruben Gallego (D) | Mark Kelly (D) | Yes (2026 Governor Race) |
| California | Adam Schiff (D) | Alex Padilla (D) | Yes (2026 Open Governor Race) |
| Connecticut | Chris Murphy (D) | Richard Blumenthal (D) | Yes (2026 Governor Race) |
| Hawaii | Mazie Hirono (D) | Brian Schatz (D) | Yes (2026 Governor Race) |
| Indiana | Jim Banks (R) | Todd Young (R) | No (Elected in 2024 / Next in 2028) |
| Maryland | Angela Alsobrooks (D) | Chris Van Hollen (D) | Yes (2026 Governor Race) |
| Missouri | Josh Hawley (R) | Eric Schmitt (R) | No (Elected in 2024 / Next in 2028) |
| Nevada | Jacky Rosen (D) | Catherine Cortez Masto (D) | Yes (2026 Governor Race) |
| New York | Kirsten Gillibrand (D) | Chuck Schumer (D) | Yes (2026 Governor Race) |
| North Dakota | Kevin Cramer (R) | John Hoeven (R) | No (Elected in 2024 / Next in 2028) |
| Pennsylvania | Dave McCormick (R) | John Fetterman (D) | Yes (2026 Governor Race) |
| Utah | John Curtis (R) | Mike Lee (R) | No (Elected in 2024 / Next in 2028) |
| Vermont | Bernie Sanders (I) | Peter Welch (D) | Yes (2-Year Term Governor Race) |
| Washington | Maria Cantwell (D) | Patty Murray (D) | No (Elected in 2024 / Next in 2028) |
| Wisconsin | Tammy Baldwin (D) | Ron Johnson (R) | Yes (2026 Open Governor Race) |
Note on the 5 States With Neither a Senate Nor a Governor Race in 2026: Look closely at Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah, and Washington in the table above. Because these five states have Class I/III senators and elect their governors in presidential years (2024 and 2028), they appear completely gray on both 2026 Senate and 2026 Governor maps—which is the primary visual trigger behind searches for why are some states not voting!
Why Is There No US Senate Race in California in 2026?
Among state-specific queries, why is there no US Senate race in California jumped by 170% as voters in America’s most populous state (nearly 39 million residents) opened their November 2026 ballots and saw a crowded race to replace term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom, 52 U.S. House races, and statewide ballot measures—but zero candidates for the United States Senate.
This felt especially jarring to California voters because they had just voted in multiple Senate elections on recent ballots:
- November 2022 (Class III Seat): Californians voted twice on the same ballot for the Class III seat—once for a short special term after Kamala Harris became Vice President, and once to elect Senator Alex Padilla to a full six-year term running from January 2023 to January 2029.
- November 2024 (Class I Seat): Following the death of longtime Senator Dianne Feinstein in 2023 (and Laphonza Butler’s interim appointment), Californians again voted twice on their November 2024 ballot—electing Senator Adam Schiff both to finish the final weeks of Feinstein’s term and to a full six-year Class I term running from January 2025 to January 2031.
Because Alex Padilla’s Class III seat is not up until November 2028 and Adam Schiff’s Class I seat is not up until November 2030, 2026 is California’s regular “off-cycle” Senate year. (Meanwhile, if you are wondering why Governor Gavin Newsom was also missing from the California ballot, California’s Proposition 140 imposes a strict lifetime two-term limit on governors.)
Why Are Some States Not Voting for Governor in 2026? (The 14 Exceptions)
The other half of the question why do some states not have midterm elections on national broadcast maps involves the 14 states that did not hold a gubernatorial election on November 3, 2026. While 36 states (plus 3 U.S. territories) elected governors in 2026, the remaining 14 states follow two alternative constitutional schedules:
1. The 9 Presidential-Year Governor States (2024 & 2028)
Nine states hold their four-year gubernatorial elections exclusively in presidential election years (meaning they last voted for governor in November 2024 and will next vote in November 2028):
- Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia.
- (Note: New Hampshire and Vermont are the only two states in America where governors serve two-year terms, meaning New Hampshire and Vermont vote for governor in both presidential AND midterm years, including 2026.)
2. The 5 Odd-Year (“Off-Year”) Governor States (2025 & 2027)
Five states intentionally schedule their gubernatorial and state legislative elections in odd-numbered years so that local state issues are not overshadowed by federal presidential or midterm campaigns:
- Year After Presidential Election (2025 & 2029): Virginia and New Jersey (both elected new governors in November 2025).
- Year Before Presidential Election (2023 & 2027): Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi (all three will hold their next gubernatorial elections in autumn 2027).
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- Markets & Fed Impact: Why Is the Stock Market Down Today? & 2027 Social Security COLA Increase Explained
- Global Security Preparedness: Why Are Governments Telling People to Stockpile Food and Water in 2026?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why do some states not have midterm elections?
Every U.S. state holds midterm elections for all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, 15 states appear gray on 2026 U.S. Senate maps because their two senators belong to Class I and Class III (elected in 2024 and 2028), and 14 states do not hold governor elections in 2026 because they elect governors in presidential or odd-numbered years.
Why is there no US Senate race in California in 2026?
California has no U.S. Senate race in 2026 because its two Senate seats belong to Class III (held by Alex Padilla, whose six-year term runs until January 2029) and Class I (held by Adam Schiff, whose six-year term runs until January 2031). California does not have a Class II Senate seat.
Which states have neither a Senate race nor a Governor race in 2026?
Five states—Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah, and Washington—have neither a U.S. Senate race nor a gubernatorial race on their November 2026 ballot, because their senators are in Classes I and III and their governors are elected during presidential election years (2024 and 2028).
Why do some states not have a Senate race every two years?
Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution gives senators six-year terms and divides the 100-member Senate into three staggered classes so only one-third of the Senate is up for election every two years. Since each state only has two senators, every state sits out one regular Senate election cycle every six years.