Americans Head to Polls in High-Stakes 2026 Midterm Elections

Voting Underway

Americans are heading to the polls for the 2026 midterm elections that will determine control of the US Congress for the remaining two years of President Donald Trump's term. Polls begin opening at 7am on the US east coast and will start to close from 6pm eastern time, with Texas and most midwest states closing at 9pm eastern and Alaska closing at midnight eastern. All seats in the US House of Representatives and a third of those in the Senate are up for grabs. Democrats require a net gain of four seats to wrest control of Congress from the Trump-led GOP, which currently holds a 53-47 majority in the Senate and a narrow 218-214 edge in the House.

Legal Battles and Polls

In Washington, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop demanding that California election officials set aside ballots from 20,000 people the Department of Justice says might be noncitizens. Chief Judge James Boasberg ruled that the lists were flawed and that the Justice Department acted outside its legal authority since the US Constitution assigns the role of administering federal elections to the states. Meanwhile, a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday showed President Donald Trump's approval rating held near a record low. In a generic ballot question, 46 per cent of registered voters said they would pick Democrats, compared with 38 per cent who picked Republicans, narrowing from an 11-point lead a week earlier.

Foreign Policy and Middle East

US President Donald Trump raised doubts about whether he would follow through on a threatened resumption of military strikes against Iran, telling reporters "No" when asked if he was considering striking Iran after the midterms and indicating a deal could happen. The Iran war is a leading cause of high gasoline prices that are weighing on voters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for another wave of strikes on Iran after the elections, according to two regional officials and a third person familiar with the matter, as a return to full-scale war could help Netanyahu form an emergency government.

Context

Midterm elections in the United States take place halfway through a presidential term and traditionally serve as a referendum on the sitting president's performance. The results frequently shift the balance of power in Washington, making it harder or easier for the White House to pass legislation over the next two years. State officials handle the actual counting of votes, which can sometimes take days in close races.