US Midterms 2026: Polls Open as Voters Decide Control of Congress
American voters headed to the polls on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, for midterm elections that will determine control of Congress and shape the final two years of President Donald Trump’s current term. American voters, congressional candidates, and political campaigns navigate a high-stakes national environment featuring 470 contested seats and an estimated $12 billion in total election spending.
Voting opened earliest in Vermont at 5:00 am local time, corresponding to 2:00 pm UAE time on Tuesday. Because voting takes place across several US time zones, the first polling stations are scheduled to close in parts of Indiana and Kentucky at 3:00 am UAE time on Wednesday, November 4, with initial projections expected shortly after.
Polling closures follow a sequential timeline across the United States. Stations in Georgia and South Carolina close at 4:00 am UAE time, followed by Ohio and North Carolina at 4:30 am. Most Texas polling stations close at 5:00 am UAE time, with final stations in the state closing an hour later. Voting concludes further west as California polls close at 8:00 am UAE time, Hawaii and most of Alaska finish at 9:00 am, and the final stations in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands close at approximately 10:00 am UAE time on Wednesday.
The elections encompass all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 Senate seats, and 36 governorships, alongside numerous state and local contests. Millions of citizens previously cast ballots ahead of Election Day through early in-person voting and postal channels. Financial contributions heavily shaped the pre-election environment, with Elon Musk spending about $366 million to support Republicans as of three weeks prior to the vote. While initial results will begin emerging early Wednesday morning in the UAE, closely contested races could take days or even weeks to resolve fully.
