Americans are voting on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, in midterm elections that will decide who controls Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's second term — and with a record number of early votes already cast, the outcome could reshape everything from the economy to foreign policy.
All 435 seats in the US House of Representatives are up for election, along with 35 of the 100 Senate seats and governorships in 36 states. About 210 million people are registered to vote. Republicans currently control both chambers, but Democrats need only a net gain of three House seats and four Senate seats to take both — a result that would sharply limit what President Trump can pass in the second half of his presidency.
A record early vote
More than 57 million Americans had already voted before Election Day, through early in-person voting and mail-in ballots — a record for a US midterm, up from about 45 million in the 2022 midterms, according to the University of Florida Election Lab and Associated Press analysis. The surge points to unusually high energy in an election widely seen as a nationwide verdict on Trump's tumultuous second term.
Polls point to a Democratic House, a tighter Senate race
A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday found 46 percent of registered voters said they would vote for Democrats in the congressional elections, compared with 38 percent for Republicans. Democrats are widely favoured to retake the House, while the Senate looks harder for them: Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, though the battlefield has widened into conservative-leaning states such as Kansas, Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Alaska.
Decision Desk HQ's final forecast projected 241 House seats for Democrats against 194 for Republicans, and a narrower 52-48 Democratic Senate majority. These are forecasts, not results — the actual count will unfold through the night in the United States and into Wednesday in Pakistan.
What is driving voters: living costs and the Iran war
Reports from the campaign trail say the mood has turned sharply against Republicans amid anger over soaring living costs and the war against Iran. On the eve of voting, President Trump told voters in a nationally televised speech that the country was "booming" and warned he would "veto everything" if Democrats gained control of Congress. He has no public appearances scheduled for Election Day itself.
The Iran conflict is also hanging over the vote. Vice President JD Vance said the US has no strict deadline for Iran to agree a deal to avoid a return of strikes, and that there have been "good conversations" with Tehran. Iranian negotiators have been in Doha for talks with Qatari mediators aimed at ending the US-Israeli war on Iran, and Trump has described the conflict as a limited confrontation, saying Washington is negotiating from "total strength."
Two races to watch
In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a physician and former public health official, is trying to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, running against Republican Mike Rogers. The race was shaken late in the campaign when Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens endorsed Rogers over her own party's nominee, after losing the primary to El-Sayed.
In California, the Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration's attempt to temporarily block the counting of mail-in ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters whom federal officials alleged were likely non-US citizens. No justice publicly dissented. A federal judge had earlier ordered the administration to stop demanding that officials set aside those ballots.
What happens next
Polls close state by state through Tuesday evening in the United States, with results expected overnight. If Democrats win the House, they would gain the power to stall Trump's legislative agenda and launch sweeping investigations of his administration. If Republicans hold both chambers, Trump keeps a freer hand for his final two years. Either way, today's vote is being called one of the most consequential midterms in recent American history.
Sources: Agence France-Presse via Philstar (3 November 2026); Reuters via BusinessWorld Online (3 November 2026); The Indian Express live updates (3 November 2026); Outlook India live updates (3 November 2026).
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ROMAN URDU VERSION:
America mein aaj, 3 November 2026 ko, midterm elections ke liye voting ho rahi hai — is se tay hoga ke Congress par kis ka control hoga, aur ye President Donald Trump ki doosri term ke aakhri do saal par bara asar daalega.
House of Representatives ki tamam 435 seats, Senate ki 100 mein se 35 seats aur 36 states mein governors ke liye voting ho rahi hai. Is waqt Republicans ka dono houses par control hai, lekin Democrats ko House jeetne ke liye sirf 3 seats aur Senate ke liye 4 seats ka net faida chahiye.
Election Day se pehle hi 57 million se zyada Americans early vote daal chuke hain — ye midterm elections ka record hai (2022 mein 45 million tha). Reuters/Ipsos poll mein 46 percent voters ne Democrats aur 38 percent ne Republicans ko vote dene ka kaha hai. Democrats ko House jeetne ka zyada chance nazar aata hai, Senate ki race zyada sakht hai.
Voters ke liye sab se bare mudde mehngai (living costs) aur Iran ke saath jang hain. Trump ne kaha hai ke agar Democrats ne Congress jeet li to wo "har cheez veto" kar denge. Michigan mein Abdul El-Sayed pehle Muslim senator banne ki koshish kar rahe hain, jabke California mein Supreme Court ne 20,000 mail-in ballots rokne ki Trump administration ki koshish mustarad kar di hai.
Nataij America mein raat ko aur Pakistan mein Budh ko aana shuru honge. Agar Democrats House jeet gaye to wo Trump ke agenda ko rok sakenge aur unki administration ki tehqiqat kar sakenge.
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