What are midterm elections?
Midterm elections occur between presidential elections, when voters elect all House members and some senators.
A midterm election is a congressional election held in the middle of a president's four-year term. Voters elect all 435 members of the US House of Representatives and about one-third of US senators in midterms.
Midterm elections happen every four years, in even-numbered years between presidential races — 2022, 2026, etc.
When is the next midterm election?
The next midterm election is on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Federal law sets Election Day as the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years.
Midterm voting varies widely among states.
Percent of voting age citizens reporting they voted during midterm and presidential elections by state
Who is elected in midterm elections?
House members serve two-year terms, so every House seat is on the ballot in every midterm election.
Senators serve six-year terms. The Constitution staggers those terms, so roughly a third of Senate seats come up for election every two years.
Midterm results decide which party holds the majority in each chamber. The new Congress begins on January 3 in the year following the election.
Keep exploring
- How red or blue is your state? - In the last ten elections, 41 states voted for the same party eight times or more.
- How to know a red or blue wave when you see one - The 2026 midterm elections are around the corner. How will it compare to recent midterms?
- Who shows up to the midterms? - Voter turnout in the last two midterm elections has been higher compared to midterms in the past four decades.
- How much money are candidates raising for the 2026 midterm?
