What Is a Midterm Election? What Voters Decide on Nov. 3, 2026

A midterm election is a congressional election held halfway between presidential elections, according to USAGov, and the next one is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Voters decide all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate. The president is not on the ballot. Most states also elect governors, state legislators and local officials the same day.

Why is it called a midterm election?

It falls in the middle of a president’s four-year term. The Constitution gives the president a four-year term (Article II), House members two-year terms (Article I, Section 2) and senators six-year terms, divided into three classes so that “one third may be chosen every second Year” (Article I, Section 3), according to the National Archives’ transcription. Because the House stands for election every two years, one House election lands in the middle of each presidential term.

What does the Nov. 3, 2026 election decide?

Office	On the ballot Nov. 3	Term	Next regular election
U.S. House	All 435 voting seats	2 years	November 2028
U.S. Senate, Class II	33 regularly scheduled seats	6 years	November 2032
U.S. Senate, special elections	Class III seats in Ohio and Florida	Rest of a term that ends in 2029	November 2028
President	Not on the ballot	4 years	November 2028

The House has had 435 voting members since Congress capped its size, according to the House’s History, Art & Archives office. The Senate’s own lists show 33 Class II seats with terms expiring in 2027 and Class III seats held by senators from Ohio and Florida. Our midterm tracker explains why those two states hold special elections and lists every Senate and governor’s race.

Beyond Congress, ballots differ by state. Many include governors, state legislators, judges, ballot measures and city or county offices. To see yours, use the official sample ballot lookup for your state. California’s My Voter Status, Pennsylvania’s Voter Registration Status and North Carolina’s Voter Search are three examples.

How is a midterm different from a presidential election?

In a presidential election year, voters also choose the president and vice president, according to USAGov, along with the House and the Senate class up that year. In a midterm, the president is not on the ballot, so the contests are for Congress and for state and local offices. The same federal rules apply to both: Election Day is “the Tuesday next after the 1st Monday in November, in every even numbered year,” under 2 U.S.C. 7, which gives Nov. 3 this year.

Who can vote on Nov. 3?

USAGov lists three requirements: be a U.S. citizen, be 18 years old on or before Election Day, and be registered by your state’s deadline. North Dakota does not require voter registration. Many state deadlines have passed; our guide to the voter registration deadline and the page on how to check whether you are registered cover what is still open.

What happens after Election Day?

Counts reported on election night are unofficial. States canvass and certify results in the weeks after, and Georgia holds a runoff on Tue., Dec. 1 for races where no candidate wins a majority. See when 2026 election winners take office and when the country will know the results.

The 20th Amendment starts the terms of senators and representatives at noon on Jan. 3, unless Congress sets a different day by law. In 2027 that day is a Sunday. The Senate Historical Office notes that a “new” Congress begins in odd-numbered years, after the elections.

Print the midterm election key dates

The printable below puts the main dates on one page. Add them to our November and December printable calendars.