Explained: how America’s midterm elections work

Americans vote on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, two years into Donald Trump’s second term. Presidential elections take place every four years; the elections held halfway between them are called the midterms. They decide which party controls Congress — and with it how much of the president’s agenda can become law.

What is on the ballot

• The House of Representatives: all 435 seats. Members serve two-year terms, so every seat is contested every two years. Seats are shared out among the states by population after each census.
• The Senate: 35 of the 100 seats this year — 33 regular contests plus special elections in Florida and Ohio for the seats once held by Marco Rubio and JD Vance. Each state has two senators, who serve six-year terms, so about a third of the Senate is elected every two years.
• Governors: 39 races, counting three in US territories.
• Ballot measures: voters in 37 states decide 100 questions put directly to them.

How a majority is won

A party needs 218 seats for a majority in the House. In the Senate it needs 51 — or 50, because the vice-president, currently JD Vance, can cast a tie-breaking vote. Control matters because the majority chooses the leaders and committee chairs who decide which bills come to a vote.

Why it matters beyond Washington

Congress passes laws and approves federal spending. The Senate also confirms judges, cabinet members and ambassadors and approves treaties. The House can impeach officials; the Senate holds the trial. A Congress controlled by the president’s opponents can block legislation and launch investigations.

Historically, the president’s party has usually lost seats in the House at the midterms, though not every time.

Counting and certification

Results can take days in close races, especially where many votes arrive by post. More than 30 million ballots had been cast early by late October, according to the University of Florida Election Lab, as cited by PBS News. States then certify their results, and the new Congress is sworn in on 3 January.

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