Midterm Elections Explained

Midterm elections are federal elections held halfway through a president’s four-year term. Although the presidency is not on the ballot, voters elect every member of the U.S. House of Representatives, approximately one-third of the Senate, and many state and local officials.

The results can determine which political party controls Congress, whether the president can advance a legislative agenda, and how closely the executive branch will be investigated or challenged during the second half of a presidential term.

Midterms often receive less attention than presidential elections, but they can substantially change the direction of the federal government. They also give voters an opportunity to evaluate the president, Congress, and state leaders before the next presidential campaign.

For a broader introduction to American elections and democratic institutions, visit Democracy, Elections, and Institutions.

What Is a Midterm Election?

A midterm election is the general election held near the midpoint of a president’s term.

Federal elections occur every two years. Presidential elections take place every four years, while the election held between presidential contests is commonly called the midterm election.

During a midterm:

The president and vice president are not elected.
All 435 voting seats in the House of Representatives are contested.
Approximately one-third of the 100 Senate seats are normally contested.
Many states elect governors and other statewide officials.
Voters may choose state legislators, judges, mayors, county officials, and local representatives.
State and local ballot measures may also appear on the ballot.

The name “midterm” refers to the timing of the election within a presidential term. It does not mean that the offices being filled are less important or temporary.

When Are Midterm Elections Held?

Regular federal elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.

Midterms occur two years after a presidential election and two years before the next one.

For example:

Election year	Type of federal election
2024	Presidential election
2026	Midterm election
2028	Presidential election
2030	Midterm election

The 2026 midterm general election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Primaries, candidate-filing deadlines, early voting periods, and registration deadlines occur earlier and vary by state. See the Election Timeline for a broader explanation of the election cycle.

What Offices Are Elected During the Midterms?

Midterm ballots may include federal, state, and local offices. The exact ballot differs depending on where a voter lives.

U.S. House of Representatives

Every voting member of the House serves a two-year term. As a result, all 435 voting seats are regularly contested in every federal election, including both presidential and midterm years.

Each representative is elected from a congressional district. The candidate receiving the most votes in the district generally wins the seat.

Because the entire House is elected at once, even a modest shift in competitive districts can change which party holds the majority.

U.S. Senate

Senators serve six-year terms. Senate elections are staggered so that approximately one-third of the seats are normally contested every two years.

The Senate is divided into three election classes. A state’s two Senate seats belong to different classes, so they are usually elected in different years.

A regular midterm election commonly includes 33 or 34 Senate contests, although additional special elections may be held to fill vacancies.

Governors and Statewide Officials

Many states elect governors during midterm years. Depending on the state, voters may also elect:

Lieutenant governors
Attorneys general
Secretaries of state
State treasurers
Auditors
Commissioners
Judges
Members of state boards

State election calendars differ. Some states elect governors during presidential years, while a small number hold gubernatorial elections in odd-numbered years.

Historical and civic profiles for every state are available through the America 250 Atlas state directory.

State Legislatures

Most states elect at least some state legislators during the midterms. These lawmakers make decisions involving:

State taxes and budgets
Education
Transportation
Criminal law
Business regulation
Health programs
Election administration
Legislative redistricting

Control of a state legislature can be especially important after a census, when congressional and legislative district boundaries are redrawn.

Local Offices and Ballot Measures

A midterm ballot may also include local offices such as:

Mayors
City council members
County commissioners
Sheriffs
Prosecutors
School board members
Local judges

Voters may also decide ballot initiatives, referendums, constitutional amendments, tax measures, bond proposals, and changes to local law.

Midterm Elections at a Glance

Feature	Midterm election
Held	Halfway through a president’s four-year term
Frequency	Every four years
President on ballot	No
House seats on ballot	All 435 voting seats
Senate seats on ballot	Approximately one-third
State offices	Often governors, legislators, judges, and other officials
Local offices	Varies by jurisdiction
Electoral College used	No
Main federal consequence	Determines control of Congress

Midterm Elections vs. Presidential Elections

Midterm and presidential elections use many of the same voting systems, but they differ in public attention, offices contested, campaign strategy, and political consequences.

Feature	Midterm election	Presidential election
Held	Halfway through a presidential term	At the end of a presidential term
President elected	No	Yes
House elections	All voting seats	All voting seats
Senate elections	Approximately one-third	Approximately one-third
Electoral College	Not used	Determines the presidential winner
Typical focus	Congress, state government, and the president’s performance	Selection of the president and national leadership
Voter turnout	Usually lower	Usually higher
Main political effect	Can change or reinforce control of Congress	Determines control of the executive branch

For more detail about presidential contests, see Presidential Elections Explained.

Why Do All House Members Face Election?

The Constitution establishes two-year terms for members of the House of Representatives.

The founders designed the House to be the part of the federal government most directly responsive to public opinion. Frequent elections allow voters to reward, replace, or restrain their representatives at relatively short intervals.

The Senate was designed differently. Senators serve six-year terms, and only part of the chamber is elected at one time. This staggered structure gives the Senate greater continuity and prevents the entire institution from turning over in a single election.

The constitutional foundations of Congress can be explored through the U.S. Constitution.

For a closer comparison of the two chambers, visit Senate vs. House Elections.

Why Midterm Elections Matter

The central question in most midterm elections is which party will control the House and Senate.

Congress writes federal laws, approves spending, oversees executive agencies, confirms many presidential nominees, and can investigate the actions of the administration. The congressional majority also controls important institutional powers, including committee leadership and the legislative schedule.

A midterm result may:

Give the president’s party greater control of Congress.
Leave the balance of power largely unchanged.
Transfer control of one chamber to the opposition.
Transfer control of both chambers.
Create divided government.
Strengthen or weaken the president’s political influence.

Even when a president remains in office, the governing environment can change considerably after a midterm election.

What Does Control of the House Mean?

The political party holding a majority of House seats chooses the speaker of the House and controls the chamber’s committees and legislative agenda.

The House majority can influence:

Which bills receive votes
Committee chairmanships
Investigations and hearings
Tax and spending legislation
Impeachment proceedings
Negotiations with the Senate and president

Because revenue bills originate in the House, control of the chamber can be especially important during debates over taxes, federal spending, and deficits. Explore those policy questions through Taxes, Spending, and Deficits.

The House also possesses the constitutional power to impeach federal officials. Impeachment by the House does not itself remove an official from office; the Senate conducts the trial.

What Does Control of the Senate Mean?

The Senate majority determines committee leadership and controls much of the chamber’s schedule.

In addition to passing legislation, the Senate has powers that the House does not possess. It considers many presidential nominations, including:

Cabinet secretaries
Federal judges
Supreme Court justices
Ambassadors
Senior executive officials

The Senate also considers treaties and conducts impeachment trials.

A change in Senate control can therefore influence the judiciary and executive branch even when few major laws are enacted.

What Is Divided Government?

Divided government occurs when different political parties control the presidency and at least one chamber of Congress.

Examples include:

One party controls the presidency while another controls both chambers of Congress.
One party controls the presidency and Senate while another controls the House.
One party controls the presidency and House while another controls the Senate.

Divided government can make major legislation more difficult because proposals must attract support across party lines. It can also result in:

Greater negotiation and compromise
Legislative gridlock
More executive actions
More congressional investigations
Budget and spending confrontations
Increased use of vetoes
Delays in judicial or executive nominations

Supporters of divided government may view it as a check on concentrated power. Critics may see it as an obstacle to decisive government.

Are Midterms a Referendum on the President?

Midterm elections are frequently described as a referendum on the sitting president.

The president is not on the ballot, but voters may use congressional elections to express approval or disapproval of the administration’s performance. National issues often influence races even when candidates are running for local or state offices.

Factors that may shape midterm results include:

The president’s approval rating
Inflation and economic conditions
Employment and wage growth
International crises
Immigration
Crime and public safety
Health care
Court decisions
Major legislation
Political scandals
Candidate quality
Local issues

The president’s party has often lost House seats in midterm elections, although this is a historical tendency rather than a rule. Candidate strength, district boundaries, public opinion, and unusual national events can produce different outcomes.

Why Is Midterm Turnout Usually Lower?

Midterm turnout has generally been lower than presidential-election turnout. Several factors help explain the difference.

Presidential campaigns receive more sustained national media coverage. Voters are also more familiar with presidential candidates than with candidates for Congress, state legislatures, or local offices.

Some voters may mistakenly believe that elections without a presidential contest are less important. Others may have limited information about down-ballot candidates or may not know that congressional control is at stake.

Lower turnout can make voter mobilization especially important. Midterm campaigns focus heavily on identifying supporters and persuading them to cast ballots through early voting, voting by mail, or Election Day voting.

What Issues Drive Midterm Elections?

Midterm campaigns may focus on national issues, local concerns, or both.

Common subjects include:

The importance of each issue varies by election year and location. A Senate race may center on national policy, while a House contest may depend heavily on district-specific concerns. State and local races may turn on education, taxes, development, transportation, or public safety.

How Do Congressional Districts Affect Midterms?

House elections are conducted within congressional districts. The boundaries of those districts can influence competition and representation.

After each decennial census, House seats are reapportioned among the states according to population. States then redraw congressional district boundaries.

Some districts are politically competitive. Others strongly favor one party because of voter distribution, geography, or decisions made during redistricting.

Gerrymandering occurs when district boundaries are drawn to create a political advantage or otherwise shape electoral outcomes. Legal standards and redistricting procedures vary by state.

Because district lines affect which voters are grouped together, a party may win more House seats even when it does not receive the most House votes nationwide.

How Do Senate Elections Differ?

Senate elections are normally conducted statewide rather than within districts.

Every voter in a state votes in the same regular Senate contest. This gives Senate candidates a larger and often more politically diverse electorate than House candidates.

Senate campaigns also tend to be more expensive and receive more national attention, especially when control of the chamber depends on a small number of competitive races.

Learn more in How Congress Is Elected.

What Are Midterm Primaries?

Before the general election, political parties usually hold primary elections to select their nominees.

Depending on state law, a primary may be:

Open: Voters may choose which party’s primary to participate in.
Closed: Participation is limited to registered members of the party.
Partially open or partially closed: The state uses rules between those two models.
Top-two or top-four: Candidates compete on one ballot, and a designated number advance regardless of party.

Primary voters choose candidates for the House, Senate, governorships, state legislatures, and other offices.

Because turnout in primaries is often lower than in general elections, a relatively small group of voters may have substantial influence over which candidates reach the November ballot.

See Primary vs. General Elections for a complete comparison.

What Role Does Campaign Speech Play?

Midterm elections involve extensive political advocacy through advertising, rallies, debates, mail, social media, interviews, and grassroots organizing.

Political speech receives strong constitutional protection because open debate allows voters to criticize officials, compare candidates, organize movements, and argue over public policy.

Learn more through What Is Political Speech? and What Is the First Amendment?.

Campaign spending also raises continuing debates about whether political expenditures are a form of protected expression and how governments may regulate election advocacy. Free Speech Atlas examines the constitutional background in Citizens United v. FEC.

Digital campaigning has introduced additional concerns involving false information, artificial intelligence, manipulated media, and impersonation. One emerging question is whether election deepfakes should be illegal.

How Are Midterm Winners Determined?

Most congressional elections use a plurality system: the candidate receiving the most votes wins, even without an absolute majority.

However, election rules vary by state. Some states may require:

Runoff elections
Ranked-choice voting
Special procedures for vacancies
Top-two or top-four primaries
Separate rules for independent candidates

States and local governments administer elections, count ballots, conduct audits or recounts, and certify results according to applicable law.

The Electoral College is not used in midterm elections. It applies only to presidential elections.

What Happens After a Midterm Election?

After results are certified, newly elected members of Congress begin their terms in early January.

The new Congress selects its leaders, organizes committees, adopts procedural rules, and begins legislative work.

If control of a chamber changes, committee leadership and legislative priorities change as well. The new majority may investigate the administration, revise spending plans, block or advance nominations, and set a different agenda for the final two years of the presidential term.

The president remains in office throughout this transition. The executive branch must work with the newly elected Congress until the next federal election.

Midterm Elections and Voting Rights

The right to participate in elections expanded over the course of American history through constitutional amendments, federal laws, court decisions, and state reforms.

Important developments included the extension of voting rights regardless of race, the direct election of senators, women’s suffrage, voting rights protections, and the lowering of the voting age to 18.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 remains one of the most important milestones in the history of American elections.

Disputes continue over voter registration, identification requirements, early voting, mail voting, district boundaries, ballot access, and election administration. These debates often involve competing concerns about access, security, fairness, and public confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are they called midterm elections?

They occur near the midpoint of a president’s four-year term.

Is the president elected during the midterms?

No. The president and vice president are elected during presidential-election years.

Are all House seats elected during the midterms?

Yes. All 435 voting members of the House serve two-year terms, so every seat is regularly contested.

How many Senate seats are elected?

Approximately one-third of the Senate is normally elected every two years. This is usually 33 or 34 regular seats, although special elections can increase the number of contests.

Do governors run during midterm elections?

Many governors are elected during midterms, but state schedules vary.

Does the Electoral College apply to midterms?

No. The Electoral College is used only to elect the president and vice president.

Can midterms change who controls Congress?

Yes. Voters can change the majority in the House, the Senate, or both chambers.

Why does congressional control matter?

The majority party controls committee leadership and much of the legislative agenda. Senate control also affects the confirmation of federal judges and executive officials.

Are midterms national or state elections?

They are both. Federal offices are contested nationwide, but states and local jurisdictions administer elections and place their own offices and measures on the ballot.

When is the 2026 midterm election?

The 2026 midterm general election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Midterm Elections Explained: How U.S. Midterms Work