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Midterm Elections Open: Schedules and Key Facts
Over 250 million voters will decide control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.
By  Gerardo Ragusa
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Votantes llenan sus boletas durante la jornada de las elecciones de medio mandato en West Bloomfield, Michigan, el 3 de noviembre de 2026.
Foto Votantes llenan sus boletas durante la jornada de las elecciones de medio mandato en West Bloomfield, Michigan, el 3 de noviembre de 2026. EFE/EPA/Ari Saperstein

Posted on 11/03/26 at 10:30

The polls are open in the United States this Tuesday, November 3, 2026, on the day of the midterm elections. According to EFE, the first polling stations opened at 5:00 a.m. (local time) in Vermont, and more than 250 million voters are called to vote in elections that will determine the last two years of Donald Trump’s government.

  • What’s at stake: the 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 of the 100 in the Senate, plus two seats in Florida and Ohio that Marco Rubio and JD Vance left to become Secretary of State and Vice President, according to EFE.
  • Other positions: governors are being elected in 36 states, and there are mayoral elections in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Oakland, Louisville, and Raleigh (EFE).
  • Schedules: polling stations open in stages, from 6:00 a.m. ET to noon in Hawaii, according to The Center Square. The last polls, in Alaska, close at 1:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, November 4.
  • Early voting: more than 57 million people have already voted, in person or by mail, according to the University of Florida’s Electoral Laboratory.

Why it matters: the outcome will decide which party controls each chamber of Congress during the last two years of Trump’s term, which influences the ability to pass or block legislative initiatives.

What time do the polls open and close?

The country spans six time zones, so the opening is staggered. These are the opening times in Eastern Time (ET), according to The Center Square:

Opening time ET States
6:00 a.m. Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Vermont
6:30 a.m. North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia
7:00 a.m. Florida, Georgia, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Louisiana (in Missouri, Illinois, and Louisiana, they are 6:00 a.m. local time)
8:00 a.m. Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin (7:00 a.m. local time)
8:30 a.m. Arkansas
9:00 a.m. Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming
10:00 a.m. California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington (Oregon and Washington vote mostly by mail)
11:00 a.m. Alaska and New Hampshire
Noon Hawaii

In Vermont, each municipality sets its opening time within a margin that starts at 5:00 a.m., so some polling stations opened before the rest. It’s a good idea to confirm the schedule with your state or county election office.

As for the closings, according to The Center Square, Kentucky and Indiana close at 6:00 p.m. ET and will offer the first hints of the night. North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia do so at 7:30 p.m.; Missouri and Illinois, at 8:00 p.m.; and Louisiana, at 9:00 p.m., the time when most states in the center close. Oregon and Washington close at 11:00 p.m. and Alaska, at 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 4. According to EFE, Hawaii closes at 7:00 p.m. local time, and a last polling station in Adak, in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, at 8:00 p.m. local time.

What each party needs in Congress

According to ABC News, in the House, President Mike Johnson starts the night with an effective advantage of 220 to 215. Democrats need a net gain of three seats to reach 218, the majority.

In the Senate, Republicans have 53 seats versus 47 (45 Democrats and two independents who vote with them), according to the same source. Democrats need a net gain of four seats. Republicans can lose three and still maintain the majority thanks to the vice president’s tie-breaking vote.

The contests to watch

According to AP, the most closely watched Senate races are in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas. The Center Square highlights several:

  • Maine: Republican Senator Susan Collins faces Democrat Troy Jackson. In the average of the last five polls from 270toWin, Jackson has 49% versus 46.4%, according to The Center Square.
  • Ohio: Republican Senator Jon Husted competes with Democrat Sherrod Brown for the remainder of Vance’s term, until 2029. Cook Political Report describes it as a «technical tie».
  • North Carolina: former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper versus Republican Michael Whatley.
  • Alaska: Republican Senator Dan Sullivan versus Democrat Mary Peltola.

In the House, The Center Square notes that in Texas, up to five districts were redrawn in favor of Republicans, and California has a new map that favors Democrats.

The weight of the Hispanic vote

According to Pew Research, the number of eligible voters increased by 8.4 million, to nearly 250 million, 3% more than in 2022. Of these, 39 million are Hispanic, the second-largest group, ahead of African American voters. You can review the 8 states where the Latino vote can make a difference.

Additionally, more than 57 million people have already voted early, according to the University of Florida’s Electoral Laboratory. We already told you about the record early voting.

What’s next

If you haven’t voted yet, confirm the schedule and location of your polling station with your state or county election office. The first results will arrive from Kentucky and Indiana starting at 6:00 p.m. ET, and those from Alaska won’t be known until the early morning of Wednesday, November 4. MundoNow will follow this day with updates.

Sources: EFE via RPP; The Center Square; ABC News; AP. Data consulted on November 3, 2026.

Main photo: EFE/EPA/Ari Saperstein