Voting in the 2026 midterms began with polls opening in Vermont. Democrats need a net gain of three House seats or four Senate seats for majorities. The Justice Department is deploying about 1,000 monitors, and courts issued rulings on ballot disputes before Election Day.
The first polling stations opened in Vermont at 5 a.m. local time, or 10:00 GMT, as voting in the 2026 midterms began. The first poll closings come at 6 p.m. ET, and the last are at 1 a.m. ET on election night. Governorships in 36 of 50 states are up this year, and voters will weigh in on 145 statewide ballot measures.
What Democrats need
Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to reach 218 and win the House majority. In the Senate, Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority, so Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control. To do that, Democrats must hold all of their own seats and flip at least four Republican-held ones.
Key Senate races
In North Carolina, Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper faces former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley for a seat Democrats hope to flip after GOP Sen. Thom Tillis said he would retire. In Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins is seeking a sixth term in a tight race against Democrat Troy Jackson. The Fox News Power Rankings moved the Kansas Senate race from Lean Republican to Toss-up, where Democrat Adam Hamilton is challenging GOP Sen. Roger Marshall. In Michigan, Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers on Sunday, Nov. 1. The endorsement shocked fellow Democrats.
Courts and monitors
The Supreme Court on Monday, Nov. 2, denied the Trump administration's request to require California to set aside mail ballots from 20,000 alleged noncitizens. The order was one line, unsigned, and noted no dissents. A federal judge also turned down a request by Democratic lawmakers and party organizations to bar the Trump administration from coercing states into screening incoming ballots. In Alaska, a federal judge threw out the administration's lawsuit seeking to block certification of the state's Senate results if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, finding the Justice Department lacked standing. The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal.
The Justice Department is sending a record number of election monitors to polling places in all 50 states, roughly 1,000 nationwide according to the department.
Trump's final push
President Trump held rallies Sunday in Dubuque, Iowa, and Salina, Kansas, where he described the event as his final campaign stop before the election. He held 28 in-person campaign rallies ahead of the midterms, along with a series of tele-rallies. On Hannity, he said Republicans would win in a landslide if their supporters vote, and asked everyone to pretend he is on the ballot. Trump will monitor election results from the White House, a White House official said.
