What are we voting for on Election Day 2026? On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Americans will choose every member of the U.S. House of Representatives (all 435 seats), 35 of the 100 U.S. Senate seats (including two special elections), governors in 36 states, thousands of state and local officials, and roughly 145 statewide ballot measures.
Control of both chambers of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s second term is on the line. Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both the House and the Senate. The outcomes will shape federal legislation, judicial confirmations, spending, and investigations for the rest of the decade. Below the federal races, state ballots will decide abortion access, transgender policies, voter identification rules, taxes, and more.
This guide breaks down exactly what is on the ballot nationwide on Election Day 2026, why it matters, and where the closest contests are.
What Are We Voting For on Election Day 2026? The Short Answer
Election Day 2026 is a midterm election. Midterms occur halfway through a presidential term. They do not choose a president. Instead, voters elect the entire House of Representatives, about one-third of the Senate, many governors, and a wide range of state and local offices.
Here is the national picture for November 3, 2026:
- U.S. House: All 435 voting seats. Republicans hold 218, Democrats 214, with 1 independent and 2 vacancies as of late October 2026. A majority is 218 seats.
- U.S. Senate: 35 seats (33 regular Class 2 seats plus special elections in Florida and Ohio). Republicans hold 53 seats, Democrats 45, and 2 independents who caucus with Democrats. Democrats need a net gain of four seats for an outright majority.
- Governors: 36 states (plus three U.S. territories). There are currently 26 Republican and 24 Democratic governors.
- Ballot measures: Approximately 145 statewide measures on the November 3 ballot (out of about 164 certified for the full year), according to Ballotpedia.
- Other offices: Thousands of state legislative seats, attorneys general, secretaries of state, judges, and local offices.
Federal law sets the date as the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. That places Election Day 2026 on November 3.
The U.S. House of Representatives: All 435 Seats
Every House member serves a two-year term, so the entire chamber is on the ballot in every midterm. As of October 31, 2026, the House stood at 218 Republicans, 214 Democrats, one independent, and two vacancies, according to the Office of the Clerk of the House. The majority threshold is 218 when the chamber is full.
Democrats need a net gain of roughly three to four seats to take control, depending on how the vacancies and the independent are counted. Republicans are defending a historically narrow majority. Historical patterns favor the party out of the White House in midterms: in 20 of the last 22 midterms, the president’s party has lost House seats.
Key dynamics include redistricting changes in several states, competitive districts in the Northeast, Midwest, and Sun Belt, and turnout among suburban and rural voters. Ballotpedia has identified dozens of battleground House races. Outcomes in places such as New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas, and Florida districts will help determine which party organizes the House in the 120th Congress.
The party that controls the House sets the legislative agenda, controls committees that can investigate the executive branch, and must pass all spending bills. A Democratic House under President Trump would create divided government, while a Republican House would give the administration more freedom to advance its priorities.
The U.S. Senate: 35 Seats, Including Special Elections
The Senate has staggered six-year terms, so roughly one-third of its 100 seats are up every two years. In 2026 that means the Class 2 seats (last elected in 2020) plus two special elections created by resignations.
The special elections are:
- Florida: Republican Ashley Moody was appointed after Marco Rubio resigned to become Secretary of State. She faces Democrat Angie Nixon. The winner serves the remainder of the term that ends in January 2029.
- Ohio: Republican Jon Husted was appointed after JD Vance resigned to become Vice President. He faces former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. The winner also serves until January 2029.
Republicans currently hold 53 seats. Democrats hold 45, and the two independents (who caucus with Democrats) bring the effective Democratic total to 47. Democrats therefore need a net gain of four seats to reach 51. In a 50-50 Senate, Vice President JD Vance would cast the tie-breaking vote, so Republicans would retain control at 50.
Republicans are defending more of the seats on the ballot (about 22 of the 35). Competitive or closely watched races include Georgia (Jon Ossoff), Maine (Susan Collins), Michigan (open seat), North Carolina (open), New Hampshire, Texas, Iowa, and the Ohio special. Outside spending and candidate quality will matter as much as national mood.
Senate control determines which judges are confirmed, whether major legislation can pass without a filibuster-proof majority, and the scope of oversight of the administration.
Governors and State Offices
Voters will elect governors in 36 states. The National Governors Association and Ballotpedia count 39 gubernatorial elections when the three U.S. territories (Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) are included. Currently there are 26 Republican governors and 24 Democratic governors.
States holding gubernatorial elections include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Several races are rated competitive by forecasters, including open seats and contests in Alaska, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona. Governors influence education policy, abortion rules, criminal justice, taxation, and the administration of elections in their states. A governor’s party also affects redistricting power after the next census and the tone of state government.
In addition to governors, many states will elect attorneys general, secretaries of state, and other statewide executive officers. These offices have grown in importance because of their roles in election administration and litigation.
Statewide Ballot Measures: About 145 Questions
Beyond candidates, voters in dozens of states will decide direct democracy questions. Ballotpedia reports that 164 statewide ballot measures were certified for 2026, with 145 of them appearing on the November 3 ballot. The National Conference of State Legislatures has cited a similar figure of about 146 measures across 39 states for Election Day.
Major themes include:
- Abortion: Measures in several states, including Idaho, that would expand or protect abortion access up to fetal viability after the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
- Transgender policies: Multiple states voting on bans or restrictions on transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports, and in some cases limits on gender-affirming care for minors.
- Voting rules: Voter ID requirements (including for mail ballots) in states such as California, Colorado, and Nevada; explicit “citizens only” voting language in several states; and ranked-choice voting changes in Alaska.
- Taxes and budgets: California’s Proposition 40, a proposed one-time 5% wealth tax on billionaires to fund healthcare and education; other property-tax and income-tax measures elsewhere.
- Redistricting and election administration: Maps and procedural rules in Missouri, Colorado, and other states.
These measures let voters change state law or constitutions without waiting for legislatures. Campaign spending on the most expensive measures has already reached hundreds of millions of dollars, particularly in California.
State Legislatures and Local Offices
Ballotpedia is tracking more than 6,000 state legislative seats on the November ballot. These chambers write state budgets, set education standards, regulate abortion and guns, and draw congressional and legislative maps. Control of state houses and senates also determines whether a state has a “trifecta” (one party controlling the governorship and both legislative chambers).
Local ballots add mayors, city councils, school boards, county officials, judges, and bond or tax questions. These races rarely make national headlines but often affect daily life more immediately than federal contests. Turnout in midterms is typically lower than in presidential years, which can amplify the influence of highly motivated local groups.
Why the 2026 Midterms Matter
The 2026 elections will decide which party sets the agenda in Congress during the second half of the Trump administration. A Republican-controlled Congress would likely advance the administration’s priorities on immigration, regulation, energy, and taxes. A Democratic House (or full Congress) would force negotiation, increase the chance of investigations, and limit the president’s legislative options.
Historical midterm patterns, current approval ratings, inflation, foreign policy developments, and candidate quality will all influence the outcome. Early voting has already been heavy in many states. Final results in close races can take days or longer because of mail-ballot counting rules that differ by state.
Key Senate battlegrounds illustrate how narrow the path to a majority is. In Michigan, the open seat left by retiring Democrat Gary Peters features progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed against Republican Mike Rogers. In Georgia, Democrat Jon Ossoff is defending a seat in a state that has been competitive at the presidential level. Maine’s longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins faces a strong challenge. North Carolina’s open seat and New Hampshire’s contest are also closely watched. Ohio’s special election pits appointed Republican Jon Husted against former three-term Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown in a state that has trended Republican in recent presidential cycles but remains competitive in statewide races.
Florida’s special election is rated more solidly Republican by most forecasters. Appointed Senator Ashley Moody, a former state attorney general, faces Democratic state Representative Angie Nixon, who won an upset primary victory over Alex Vindman. The winner serves only until January 2029, so the seat will be on the ballot again in 2028 for a full six-year term.
On the House side, both parties are defending districts that the opposing party’s presidential candidate carried in 2024. Democrats are defending a larger number of Trump-won districts, while Republicans must protect a smaller set of Harris-won districts. Redistricting litigation and mid-decade map changes in states such as California (via Proposition 50 in 2025), Missouri, and others have altered the battlefield. Ballotpedia has designated roughly 50 House races as battlegrounds.
Governor races carry both immediate and long-term consequences. Open seats in Georgia, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan will help determine which party controls statehouses that influence abortion policy, education funding, and election administration heading into the 2028 presidential cycle. Incumbents seeking re-election in large states such as California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois face varying degrees of opposition. Term limits and retirements have created a high number of open gubernatorial seats this cycle.
Ballot measure campaigns have already attracted more than a billion dollars in contributions according to Ballotpedia tracking. California alone accounts for several of the highest-spending measures, including the proposed billionaire wealth tax and competing tax-limitation proposals. Abortion-related measures continue the post-Dobbs pattern in which voters have generally supported broader access when the question is put directly on the ballot. Transgender-related measures, particularly those concerning sports participation, appear on ballots in multiple states and have become a consistent national flashpoint.
Voter identification and citizenship requirements are another recurring theme. Several states are voting on constitutional amendments that explicitly limit voting to U.S. citizens, even though noncitizen voting in federal and most state elections is already illegal. Other measures expand or strengthen identification requirements for both in-person and mail voting. Alaska voters will decide whether to repeal the top-four primary and ranked-choice voting system they adopted in 2020.
For voters, the practical step is to check a state or county election website or a nonpartisan tool such as Ballotpedia or the secretary of state’s portal to see the exact candidates and measures on their personal ballot. Requirements for voter ID, registration deadlines, and polling hours vary by state. Many states have already begun early voting and mailed ballots; deadlines for requesting and returning mail ballots differ widely.
What Happens After Election Day 2026
Most races will be called on election night or the following day. Closely contested House districts and a handful of Senate races may take longer. Official certification happens on state timelines, usually within a few weeks. The new Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2027. New governors typically take office in early January as well.
If control of either chamber changes, the new majority will organize committees, set the legislative calendar, and begin work on the next federal budget and any major policy bills. Judicial nominations and executive-branch oversight will also shift with the balance of power.
What are we voting for on Election Day 2026 is therefore more than a list of races. It is a national decision about the direction of federal policy for the remainder of the presidential term, plus hundreds of state and local choices that will shape daily life for years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are we voting for on Election Day 2026?
All 435 U.S. House seats, 35 U.S. Senate seats (including special elections in Florida and Ohio), governors in 36 states, thousands of state legislative and local offices, and about 145 statewide ballot measures.
When is Election Day 2026?
Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Federal law sets general elections for the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Who controls Congress right now?
As of late October 2026, Republicans hold the House (218–214 with vacancies and one independent) and the Senate (53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, 2 independents who caucus with Democrats).
How many Senate seats are up in 2026?
Thirty-five: the 33 regularly scheduled Class 2 seats plus special elections in Florida (to fill the remainder of Marco Rubio’s term) and Ohio (to fill the remainder of JD Vance’s term).
How many ballot measures are on the November 3 ballot?
Ballotpedia counts approximately 145 statewide measures on the November 3 ballot out of 164 certified for the full year. Topics include abortion, transgender policies, voter ID, taxes, and election rules.
Is Election Day a federal holiday?
No. Election Day is not a federal holiday. Federal offices, banks, and the post office generally remain open. Some states treat it as a state holiday.
Where can I see what is on my personal ballot?
Check your state secretary of state’s website, your local election office, or nonpartisan resources such as Ballotpedia. Enter your address or ZIP code on most of these sites for a customized sample ballot.