https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/On 3 November 2026 US voters elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 35 senators and 36 state governors. The run-up was shaped by an unusual round of mid-decade congressional redistricting, a Supreme Court ruling narrowing the Voting Rights Act, and court fights over voting rules. In Alaska a federal lawsuit filed by the Justice Department seeks to hold up certification of the Senate result in some circumstances.enhttps://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e39us-midterms-2026-de43d661e7Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:00:00 +0000The House stands at 218 Republicans, 214 Democrats, one independent and two vacancies, one last held by each party, according to the Clerk of the House and Al Jazeera. Democrats need a net gain of three House seats or four Senate seats for a majority, AFP reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e38us-midterms-2026-8f6a805110Sat, 31 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Justice Department filed an amended complaint on 29 October and a motion for a preliminary injunction on 30 October. Reply briefs on the motions to dismiss were filed on 31 October and no ruling had been reported, according to the court docket as summarised by Democracy Docket.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e37us-midterms-2026-a4c58cf241Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Division of Elections records show Dan J. Sullivan changed his party registration to undeclared when requesting a primary absentee ballot, Alaska's News Source reported. He appears on the general election ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party label, while the senator's listing shows his registration and incumbency, according to Alaska's News Source and Gray DC.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e36us-midterms-2026-5aa292cd5fMon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000More than 28 million Americans had cast ballots with just over a week to go, according to the University of Florida Election Lab as reported by Newsweek on 26 October. Nearly 122 million people voted in the 2022 midterms, NPR noted.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e35us-midterms-2026-111a7a3298Sun, 25 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000On 25 October the Peltola campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee asked US District Judge Sharon Gleason to dismiss the suit as wholly baseless, Reuters reported. On 26 October Alaska's election officials also moved to dismiss, arguing the suit has no legal basis, Alaska Public Media and The New York Times reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e33us-midterms-2026-79949e765dFri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000President Trump told reporters he had told the department to file the suit. Peltola called it corruption, Senator Lisa Murkowski said the department should never have filed it, and Senator Sullivan's campaign said it would let the complaint run its course, the Associated Press reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e34us-midterms-2026-a048a936e1Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Almost 21 million people had voted by mail or in person, according to the University of Florida Election Lab as reported by NPR. Scripps News, also citing the lab, put the figure at more than 21 million. Michael McDonald, who maintains the lab's data, told NPR turnout was up over the 2022 and 2018 midterms.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e32us-midterms-2026-c4151e3bb4Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Justice Department sued Alaska in federal court on 22 October, seeking to block certification of the Senate result if Senator Dan S. Sullivan narrowly loses, the Associated Press and Reuters reported. Alaska Public Media reported the suit could block or delay certification if he loses but would have won had every ballot for the other Sullivan counted for him, and that the only law it cites is the National Voter Registration Act. Attorney General Todd Blanche said it sought to determine whether voters were confused, Reuters reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e31us-midterms-2026-c246f32cc7Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000After a series of orders that included blocking a conflicting federal district court order on 10 September, the US Supreme Court turned away a bid to use the new Missouri map, with no noted dissents, the Associated Press reported. Missouri votes under its 2022 districts.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e30us-midterms-2026-530991e4d9Fri, 18 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000Early in-person voting began in Virginia on 18 September, Al Jazeera reported. North Carolina began mailing absentee ballots on 4 September, and 47 states and Washington DC offer some form of early voting in 2026, according to Al Jazeera.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e29us-midterms-2026-5588b3b4eeThu, 03 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Missouri Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the referendum petition was sufficient, ordered it onto the 3 November ballot and barred use of the 2025 map unless voters approve it. The 2022 districts apply in November, St. Louis Public Radio and The Missouri Times reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e28us-midterms-2026-e19f30ac70Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Dan J. Sullivan said he would stay on the November ballot, hours before the withdrawal deadline. Fourth-place finisher David Leslie withdrew, moving fifth-place Gerald Heikes onto the ballot, Alaska Public Media reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e27us-midterms-2026-49f1690fb7Tue, 18 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000In Alaska's open primary, Mary Peltola led with 49.5 percent and Senator Dan S. Sullivan had 41.4 percent, with Dan J. Sullivan third at 2.5 percent, according to results reported by Alaska Public Media. The top four advance to the general election, which uses ranked-choice voting.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e26us-midterms-2026-c57e249cd9Tue, 04 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000Missouri held primaries under the new map, and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the referendum petition against it, saying the constitution did not allow a referendum on congressional redistricting, according to the Associated Press and The Missouri Times.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e24us-midterms-2026-52f3230a60Mon, 29 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Alaska Supreme Court ruled that Dan J. Sullivan is qualified to run and ordered him placed on the August primary ballot, upholding Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews, who found the division had abused its discretion, the Associated Press and Alaska Beacon reported. The court left how his name appears to the division.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e25us-midterms-2026-c9bc56e4b0Mon, 29 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000In Watson v. Republican National Committee, the Supreme Court held in an opinion by Justice Amy Coney Barrett that federal Election Day laws do not stop states from counting mail ballots cast by Election Day and received shortly after, reversing the Fifth Circuit in a case over Mississippi's law. SCOTUSblog reported the vote as 5-4, with Justice Samuel Alito writing the dissent.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e23us-midterms-2026-36d5b8f8b6Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000US District Judge Denise Casper permanently barred the Trump administration from enforcing a 2025 executive order requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, in a lawsuit brought by state attorneys general, ABC News and KTVU reported. ABC said the order also required mail ballots to arrive by Election Day.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e22us-midterms-2026-4d9db95b55Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher ruled that the challenger's candidacy was not filed in good faith and was meant to confuse voters, and removed him from the ballot, the Associated Press reported. Alaska Public Media reported a preliminary decision on 12 June.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e21us-midterms-2026-2ff3e4eed2Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000The Florida Supreme Court ruled 6-1 that it lacked jurisdiction to intervene while a challenge was pending in a lower appeals court, which Reuters said all but guaranteed the new map would be used in November. Republicans held 20 of Florida's 28 House seats.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e20us-midterms-2026-122948d2daTue, 09 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000In Maine, Senator Susan Collins and Graham Platner won their parties' Senate nominations, after Governor Janet Mills suspended her campaign for the nomination in April. In South Carolina, Senator Lindsey Graham won renomination outright, the Associated Press reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e19us-midterms-2026-1bf3834d15Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom, who oversees Alaska elections, opened an investigation into the challenger's candidacy on 8 June, NTD and the Associated Press reported. The National Republican Senatorial Committee later filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against him and a political consultant, according to NTD and Semafor.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e18us-midterms-2026-33cc7defc4Fri, 29 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, filed on 29 May to run for the US Senate seat held by Senator Dan S. Sullivan, according to NTD. The senator accused him of trying to trick voters, the Associated Press reported, and the Peltola campaign said it had no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e17us-midterms-2026-6834a51f59Tue, 26 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican runoff for the US Senate nomination, defeating Senator John Cornyn, the Associated Press reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e16us-midterms-2026-0d9258ee2dFri, 15 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000The US Supreme Court denied a request by Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and others to use the new map in 2026, in a brief unsigned order with no public dissents, SCOTUSblog reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e15us-midterms-2026-4db3f6aedfFri, 08 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000A divided Virginia Supreme Court struck down the voter-approved amendment, ruling that it had first passed the legislature after voters had begun casting ballots in the 2025 election, when the constitution requires passage in two sessions separated by a House of Delegates election, SCOTUSblog reported. The Associated Press also reported the ruling.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e14us-midterms-2026-50a3ece882Fri, 01 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000In May the governors of Florida, Louisiana and Tennessee signed new congressional maps, the Associated Press reported. AP said the Louisiana map eliminates a majority-Black district and the Tennessee map splits the majority-Black district based in Memphis. Louisiana's governor had suspended congressional primaries the day after Callais, according to Stateline.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e13us-midterms-2026-e2e46c61fcWed, 29 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000In an opinion by Justice Samuel Alito, the Supreme Court held that Louisiana's second majority-Black congressional district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. It said Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is violated only when the evidence supports a strong inference that a state intentionally drew districts to give minority voters less opportunity, the Congressional Research Service summarised. Justice Elena Kagan dissented.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e12us-midterms-2026-d1ff31290bMon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000The US Supreme Court reversed the three-judge panel's judgment against Texas's 2025 map in a brief unsigned order, clearing it for the 2026 elections, The Texas Tribune and JURIST reported. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e11us-midterms-2026-08c1ed38a2Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing a new congressional map, the Associated Press reported. A Tazewell County judge had already ruled the amendment invalid, finding lawmakers had violated their own rules in passing it, and that ruling was under appeal.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/us-midterms-2026/#e10us-midterms-2026-453e11637aMon, 09 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000Representative Kevin Kiley of California said he was leaving the Republican Party to serve as an independent, while continuing to caucus with Republicans to keep his committee posts, the Associated Press reported. AP linked the move to his reelection race under California's redrawn districts.