US midterms 2026: All you need to know in maps and charts – Al Jazeera

US midterms 2026: All you need to know in maps and charts  Al Jazeera

On November 3, Americans decide which party controls the US Congress for the second half of Donald Trump’s presidency. On November 3, about 210 million registered voters will decide how much power Donald Trump has for the rest of his US presidency. Trump is not on the ballot, but control of the United States Congress is. Made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, Congress writes the country’s laws and controls federal spending. In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera breaks down how the elections work, which races matter and what the results could mean for either party. Held halfway through a US president’s four-year term, midterm elections decide the makeup of Congress.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats are being contested, including special elections in the states of Florida and Ohio to fill the seats vacated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. Voters in 36 states will also elect governors. House members represent one congressional district each and serve two-year terms, while senators serve six-year terms. Midterm elections are also widely considered a referendum on the sitting president’s performance. Since 1946, the president’s party has lost an average of 26.5 seats in the House and a handful in the Senate in midterm elections,