Why Voting Matters in the 2026 Midterm Elections

Early voting is underway across the United States for the 2026 midterm elections, with Election Day scheduled for Tuesday, November 3. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are on the ballot. Voters in 35 states will elect senators, 36 states will hold governor races, and over 150 ballot measures are set across 40 states. These elections will shape policies on the Iran War and artificial intelligence regulation.

Stakes and Impact

Kansas college student Brody Saner says voting is a duty to change things he is unhappy with. Kansas voter Tracy Preisser calls a vote a person's voice that decides rules for communities. Nationally, control of the House and Senate is at stake. The outcome will determine if Congress checks or enables presidential power for the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency. Locally, down-ballot votes impact taxes, doctor visit prices, school funding, and local court judges. A CBS News and YouGov poll found most voters feel neither party has a plan to make people better off financially. Kansas farmer Mandy Sieren says she does not trust either major party. Columbia University political scientist Donald Green notes that midterms draw millions fewer voters than presidential elections, with 46 percent of eligible voters casting ballots in 2022 compared to 65 percent in 2024. Small vote shifts can lead to dramatic policy changes because the smaller electorate gives each ballot more weight. Recent races show tiny margins, such as Republican Representative Lauren Boebert winning her Colorado seat by 546 votes in 2022, Democrat Adam Gray winning a California district by 187 votes in 2024, and Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks winning an Iowa race by six votes in 2020. Green adds that politicians pay attention to groups that vote at high rates, often undervaluing issues important to young and poor people who vote less.

Control of Congress

Control of both chambers of Congress is in play with slim margins. In the House, Republicans hold a narrow majority, and Democrats need a net gain of three seats to win control. In the Senate, Democrats need a net gain of four seats to flip the chamber. Congress will decide on Iran War funding and AI regulation. More than 30 states are electing governors with competitive races from Georgia to Ohio, giving governors power over data center buildouts through tax breaks, moratoriums, and utility commissioner appointments. Forty-one ballot initiatives on data centers are active across 13 states. New York City poll worker Sandra Strother says her great motivator to vote and help others is her uncle, who was killed trying to vote in Alabama in the 1950s because he was African American.

Context

Midterm elections happen halfway through a presidential term and historically serve as a check on executive power. Statistics show that the president's party has lost seats in 37 of the past 41 midterm elections. Voter turnout typically drops significantly during midterms compared to presidential election years.