The 2026 general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Voters across all 50 states choose the entire U.S. House of Representatives, 35 U.S. Senate seats, and a long list of state and local offices that varies by where you live.
How many House seats are on the ballot
All 435 voting seats in the U.S. House are on the ballot. That happens at every general election, because a House term runs 2 years and there are no staggered classes. Members elected on November 3 take office on January 3, 2027, when the 120th Congress convenes.
Five non-voting delegates are also elected on November 3: the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each serves a 2-year term. Puerto Rico is the exception. Its Resident Commissioner serves a 4-year term and is elected in presidential years, so that seat is not on the 2026 ballot.
Browse all 435 districts or find your own district by ZIP code.
How many Senate seats are on the ballot
35 Senate seats are on the ballot. 33 of them are regular elections for Class II seats, which were last contested in 2020. Senators elected to those seats begin 6-year terms on January 3, 2027.
The other 2 are special elections. Florida and Ohio each fill the last 2 years of a term that was vacated mid-term, so those winners serve until January 2029 rather than 2033.
Of the 33 regular seats, Democrats hold 13 and Republicans hold 20 going into the election. Counting both special elections, the split of seats being defended is 22 Republican and 13 Democratic.
See all 35 Senate races, who holds each seat, and which have no incumbent running.
How to find your own district
A congressional district is drawn by population, not by county or city line, so a single ZIP code can sit in more than one district and neighbours on the same street can vote in different races.
Enter your ZIP code in the lookup on the What District Am I In home page to get your district, the representative who holds it now, and the candidates who have filed. If your ZIP crosses a district line, the lookup returns every district it touches so you can check which one matches your address.
How to find who is on your ballot
Your full ballot is assembled by your county or municipal election office, not by the federal government. It contains your U.S. House race, any U.S. Senate race in your state, and state and local contests that differ street by street.
The reliable way to see it is a sample ballot from your own election office. Every state publishes one, usually a few weeks before election day, tied to your registered address. How to find what is on your ballot walks through the steps.
You can reach your state election office through vote.gov, the official federal voter site run in partnership with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Each state page links to that state registration check, online registration and election website.
When polls close
Poll hours are set by each state, and a few states let counties or towns set their own opening time. Closing times run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time.
The earliest closings are in Indiana and Kentucky, where polls close at 6 p.m. local time. Most states close at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. local. New York closes at 9 p.m., and North Dakota allows closing anywhere between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tennessee closes at 8 p.m. in its Eastern counties and 7 p.m. in its Central counties. New Hampshire lets each town set hours, with no poll closing before 7 p.m.
Because the country spans 6 time zones, the first polls close while voting continues for several more hours further west. Anyone in line when polls close is entitled to vote.
Each state hub page on this site lists that state poll hours. Start from the state list to find yours.
Where results are posted
Official results come from state and county election offices. Each state election website posts unofficial returns on election night and certified results in the weeks that follow. The vote.gov state pages link to those sites.
Results reported on election night are unofficial. States certify at different dates, and mail ballots that arrive after election day are still counted in states that allow it, so margins move for days in close races.
The Clerk of the U.S. House publishes the official national compilation of congressional election results after states certify. That document is the authoritative record of who won each of the 435 districts.
Common questions
What date is the 2026 general election?
Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Federal general elections fall on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.
Is my representative on the ballot in 2026?
Yes. All 435 House seats are contested at every general election because House terms run 2 years. Whether the current officeholder is running again varies, and some have retired or lost a primary.
Is there a Senate race in my state in 2026?
35 states have one. The other 15 do not, because Senate terms run 6 years and the seats are split into 3 classes. Check the list of 2026 Senate races.
Why does my ballot look different from my neighbour ballot?
Ballots are built by precinct. Two addresses in the same ZIP code can fall in different congressional districts, different state legislative districts, different school boards and different municipal jurisdictions.
When do the winners take office?
January 3, 2027, for both the House and the Senate. That is the day the 120th Congress convenes.
On election day, November 3, 2026
This section covers the four problems that come up most often at a polling place. Rules differ by state, so the official source for your situation is your state or local election office. You can reach every one of them through the Election Assistance Commission state directory. This is general information about how federal law works and is not legal advice.
If you are in line when polls close
Closing times are set by state law and so is the rule about voters already in line. Many states allow everyone who is in line at closing time to vote. Do not leave the line to check. Ask a poll worker to confirm the rule where you are, and if you are told to leave while you are already in line, contact your state or local election office or the U.S. Department of Justice Voting Section on 800-253-3931.
Poll hours for your state are listed on that state page on this site. Find your state.
If you are told you are not on the roll
Section 302 of the Help America Vote Act creates a right to cast a provisional ballot when your name does not appear on the registration list or an election official challenges your eligibility. The Election Assistance Commission describes the provisional ballot as a safety net: it records your intent to vote and your selections until officials determine whether you were eligible.
The Election Assistance Commission states that the only permissible requirement for obtaining a provisional ballot is an affirmation that you are registered in the jurisdiction and eligible to vote in a federal election. Ask for one. Do not leave without voting.
Before that, check whether you are at the correct polling place. Some states count a provisional ballot cast in any precinct. Others count it only if it was cast in the precinct where you are registered. A poll worker can direct you to the right location, and going there is usually better than voting provisionally in the wrong one.
What a provisional ballot is
A provisional ballot is a real ballot that is kept separate from the rest until election officials decide whether it counts. That decision is made under state and federal eligibility rules covering age, citizenship and residence. Depending on what officials find, a provisional ballot is counted in full, counted in part, or rejected.
Ask the poll worker how to check whether your ballot was counted. The Election Assistance Commission advises election offices to give voters that information in writing, and most states provide an online lookup.
If you believe your right to vote was denied
The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division enforces the federal laws that protect voting, including the Voting Rights Act and the Help America Vote Act. Its Voting Section can be reached toll free on 800-253-3931. Complaints can be filed at civilrights.justice.gov.
The Department also publishes a Know Your Voting Rights guide, available in several languages, which explains the federal laws involved and how to report a possible violation.
Where results are posted on election night
Official results come from state and county election offices. Each state posts unofficial returns on election night and certified results in the weeks that follow. Reach your state office through the Election Assistance Commission state directory. Florida, as one example, posts returns at the Florida Department of State results system.
Numbers reported on election night are unofficial. Every state has a certification process that takes days to weeks. Ballots cast provisionally are still being reviewed during that period, and states that accept late-arriving mail ballots postmarked by election day are still receiving and counting them. Margins in close races move for days after November 3.
The Clerk of the U.S. House publishes the official national compilation of congressional results after the states certify. That document is the authoritative record of who won each of the 435 districts.