Voting in the 2026 US midterm elections begins on Tuesday, 3 November, with polling stations opening at different times across the country and the final voting centres closing early on Wednesday morning.
The first polling stations are due to open at 05:00 local time in Vermont, equivalent to 14:30 in Afghanistan. The last polling stations are expected to close in Alaska at 20:00 local time, corresponding to 10:30 on Wednesday morning in Afghanistan.
About 250 million Americans are eligible to vote in the elections, which will determine the make-up of Congress and several state-level offices.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate, and the governorships of 36 states are being contested.
About 210 million people have registered to vote, while more than 53 million Americans have already cast their ballots through early in-person voting or by post, according to published figures.
The elections are politically significant because they will determine the composition of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term and could affect his administration’s ability to pass legislation and pursue its policy agenda.
