The final stretch of the 2026 midterm campaign is here, with early voting already underway in states across the country ahead of Election Day on November 3.
In California alone, more than 2.67 million mail-in and early in-person ballots had already been cast as of this week, part of a broader national pattern of voters casting ballots well before Election Day itself. Beyond the race for Congress, this year's ballot is unusually full of consequential state-level contests. In Minnesota, for example, all 67 state Senate seats and all 134 state House seats are up for election, with recent polling showing a close contest for control of the legislature. Similar down-ballot stakes are playing out in statehouses and governors' races across the country, meaning the midterms will reshape state government as much as Washington.
Several individual races have already drawn national attention for how close they are. In Wisconsin, one Republican State Assembly candidate won a primary by just three votes after a recount, a reminder of how narrow margins can be in competitive districts this cycle. Immigration enforcement has also emerged as a dividing line in a number of swing-state races, with candidates staking out different positions on cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration agents.
The elections are also unfolding against a backdrop of unfinished business in Washington. Lawmakers avoided a government shutdown at the start of October by passing a stopgap funding bill that keeps federal agencies, including the Defense Department, funded through December 11. That date now sits just weeks after Election Day, meaning the same Congress elected this November will face an immediate deadline to pass full-year spending bills or negotiate another extension.
Watch turnout and early-vote totals build through November 3, and watch for how a new Congress approaches the December 11 government funding deadline shortly after taking stock of the election results.
When is Election Day?
Election Day for the 2026 U.S. midterms is November 3.
What happens with government funding after the election?
Current funding runs out on December 11, so the newly elected Congress will quickly face a decision on full-year spending bills or another short-term extension.