Americans Vote in 2026 Midterms as Congress Faces Power Shift

Millions of Americans headed to polling stations on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, to determine control of Congress and elect governors across the country. The midterm elections feature contests for all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and governorships in 36 states, with the results potentially shaping President Donald Trump's legislative agenda during the second half of his term.

More than 59 million Americans had already voted before Election Day, according to the University of Florida Voting Lab. Eleven Senate races and 49 House districts have been identified as particularly competitive, making them central to the fight for congressional control.

The Senate battleground states are Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, Texas and Alaska. Several closely contested races may require additional time for officials to count ballots and determine winners.

David Becker, executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research and a CBS News contributor, questioned whether the balance of power would become clear on election night.

"If we do, then there's a very big wave going on," Becker said.

He explained that closely contested elections can take longer to resolve. Election experts also cautioned against accepting unsupported allegations of fraud when vote counting remains underway.

Michigan reported substantial early participation. By 7 a.m. Tuesday, 32.9% of active registered voters had cast ballots, including 750,469 who voted early in person, according to state data.

Voters in Michigan are choosing between Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican John James in the gubernatorial contest. The open Senate seat features Democrat Abdul El-Sayed against Republican Mike Rogers. Both pairs secured their parties' nominations in August.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed confidence that Democrats could regain control of the chamber after voting in Brooklyn. He described his expectations as:

"Nauseously optimistic," Schumer said.

Schumer previously served as Senate majority leader from 2021 to 2025. He also addressed the possibility of Democrats regaining control of the House and whether the president would cooperate with a Democratic congressional majority.

"Look, it'll be up to him. The American people want us to do things that make their lives better. Trump has refused to listen to them.

He's even, at time to time, sort of dissed those costs, those kinds of things that people are caring about of costs and things like that. Will he change? I don't think I don't know.

But we're going to fight Trump tooth and nail and focus on the issues no matter what he does," Schumer said.

He said cooperation with the administration would depend partly on Trump's willingness to change his approach.

"We'll see if he will actually change his ways and join," Schumer said.

Schumer added that Democrats intended to continue pursuing their priorities regardless of the president's response.

"But whether he does or not, because I don't think he will, we are going to keep fighting for the people and doing what they asked us to do. We're listening to them. Trump is not," Schumer said.

The Justice Department announced plans to deploy approximately 1,000 election monitors across all 50 states, describing the operation as its largest election-monitoring effort. The agency said the deployment would oversee compliance with federal voting-rights laws.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the department was proud of the scale of its monitoring operation.

"Very proud we are deploying the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history, and pursuing transparency for elections in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner," Dhillon said.

However, an official estimated during a Monday court hearing that the number of available monitors was closer to 900 because of difficulties recruiting and training personnel. The department also recruited employees from agencies including the Bureau of Prisons and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Those additional personnel were described to a federal judge as administrative workers performing non-enforcement duties. The judge, Reggie Walton of the D.C. District Court, rejected an emergency request from civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, to restrict the monitoring program.

Voting disruptions also emerged in New York. Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins reported that ballot scanners at most polling locations were experiencing technical problems after polls opened at 6 a.m.

Voters were instructed to remain in line, complete paper ballots and place them in secure boxes while officials addressed the malfunction. Jenkins said officials had not established when the scanners would be operational again. Republican Mike Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley, competing in the closely watched 17th Congressional District, encouraged residents to continue voting.

Weather conditions created additional challenges in Florida. Heavy rainfall and flooding in parts of the state's southwestern region prompted St. Lucie County election officials to relocate several polling locations because flooded roads restricted access.

The election supervisor explained the changes were necessary to maintain safe access for voters.

"Due to inclement weather and flooding that has affected road access to certain polling locations, the following precincts have been temporarily relocated to ensure voters have safe and accessible locations to cast their ballots," the elections supervisor said.

Officials said they would continue assessing whether affected polling locations remained usable.

"Functional," the elections supervisor said when describing the condition being evaluated at polling sites.

The National Weather Service in Melbourne described the rainfall as a rare event with a 0.1% annual probability.

"1,000-year," the weather service said in describing the rainfall event.

The agency clarified that the designation does not mean such rainfall can occur only once every millennium.

"Means there is a 0.1% chance of rainfall of this magnitude occurring in any given year — not that it can only happen once every 1,000 years," the National Weather Service said.

The agency also highlighted the importance of flood preparedness beyond officially designated high-risk areas.

"This exceptionally rare event underscores the importance of flood preparedness and flood insurance, even in areas outside designated high-risk flood zones," the National Weather Service said.

Forecasters expected additional rainfall through Wednesday, including in areas already affected by flooding.

In Iowa, Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson discussed Trump's campaign appearance in Dubuque during her final election-eve remarks. She argued that the president's visit helped communicate differences between her and Democratic opponent Josh Turek.

"Josh Turek's too liberal for Iowa, and I think the president helped tell that story," Hinson said.

Hinson also criticized Turek over transgender issues and immigration. Turek has said he opposes men competing in women's sports and is willing to work with Trump on border security.

Asked whether she had sufficiently distanced herself from Trump, Hinson emphasized her willingness to cooperate with political figures when their policies benefited Iowa.

"I'm always going to be somebody's ally if they're willing to work with me on something that's right for Iowa, but I will be a thorn in their side if they are wrong for Iowa," Hinson said.

Trump also defended the financial cost of the Iran war in a televised interview before Election Day. During a discussion with Fox News host Sean Hannity, he dismissed the military expenditure while defending the broader value of his foreign policy decisions.

"Peanuts," Trump said when characterizing the war's cost.

He claimed the United States had generated substantial economic value since he entered office on January 20, 2025.

"We've created $25 trillion worth of 'worth' since I entered office on January 20th," Trump said.

He subsequently described the claimed economic value using another financial term.

"Worth," Trump said.

"Wealth," Trump added.

However, a U.S. Central Command document reviewed by ABC News estimated that the war with Iran had cost the U.S. military $47 billion through mid-October.