Watch Live: 2026 Midterm Election Results and Election Night Coverage

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Election Day 2026 has arrived, with control of the House and Senate on the line as voters across the country choose members of Congress, governors and thousands of state and local officials.

This page is designed as a guide to Election Night. Watch live national coverage below, find alternative streams from across the political and media spectrum, follow live vote totals from major election desks and see which important races begin reporting as polls close throughout the evening.

Watch Live: 2026 Midterm Election Night Coverage

Live election coverage will continue throughout Tuesday evening and into Wednesday morning as results arrive from across the country. Use the buttons below to switch between several major national Election Night broadcasts.





Now showing: C-SPAN

C-SPAN is the featured stream by default. Switch between broadcasts above, or use the full list of live-stream links below.

More Ways to Watch the 2026 Election Results Live

Nearly every major national news organization is offering extended Election Night coverage. Most streams are available free online via YouTube. Here is a compiled list below with direct links to various live election night coverage streams.

Fox News begins its main “Democracy 26” coverage at 6 p.m. ET with Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. NBC begins extended coverage at 5 p.m. ET, while CBS launches its data-focused Election 2026 coverage at 5 p.m. before its main primetime broadcast begins at 7 p.m. ET. C-SPAN is also planning extended commercial-free coverage beginning during the afternoon.

2026 Midterm Election Live Results

If you prefer numbers to television commentary, several national election desks will provide continuously updated vote totals, race calls and House and Senate balance-of-power trackers throughout the night.

Most major television networks will be using Associated Press election data as a foundation for their 2026 results coverage, although each news organization makes its own race calls. NewsNation is partnering with Decision Desk HQ for its Election Night projections.

Election Night Guide: What to Watch and When

The first polling places begin closing at 6 p.m. ET, but the most consequential results will arrive in waves throughout the evening. The times below are in Eastern Time and focus on the races and states likely to draw the most national attention.

6 p.m. ET — The First Polls Close

Polls begin closing in the Eastern Time portions of Indiana and Kentucky. This is mostly the starting gun for Election Night, with only limited results available while most of the country’s major battlegrounds are still voting.

7 p.m. ET — Georgia, Virginia and the First Major Results

Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia close statewide at 7 p.m. ET, while the remaining portions of Indiana and Kentucky also finish voting. Most of Florida remains open until 8 p.m. ET because of the Panhandle.

Races to watch: Georgia’s Senate contest will be one of the first major statewide races to begin reporting. Virginia also has several congressional races worth watching for early clues about the national House environment.

7:30 p.m. ET — Ohio and North Carolina

This is the first truly major Election Night wave. Polls close statewide in Ohio, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Races to watch: Ohio features both the closely watched governor race between Vivek Ramaswamy and Amy Acton and a U.S. Senate contest. North Carolina also has a major open Senate race, along with competitive House contests in both states.

8 p.m. ET — A Huge Eastern Battleground Wave

A large group of states closes at 8 p.m. ET, including Pennsylvania, Maine, New Jersey, Connecticut and much of Michigan, along with numerous states across the South and Midwest. The Florida Panhandle also closes, completing voting statewide.

Races to watch: Pennsylvania and Michigan contain important congressional races, while Maine has a closely watched Senate contest. This is also when results begin arriving from several states that could help show whether either party is gaining ground in the battle for the House.

Kansas begins closing at this point as well, although local closing times and time zones mean some Kansas polls remain open later.

8:30 p.m. ET — Arkansas

Arkansas closes at 8:30 p.m. ET. This is a relatively quiet national wave before another much larger group of states closes at 9 p.m.

9 p.m. ET — Iowa, Arizona, Wisconsin and New York

This is another major Election Night wave. Polls close statewide in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin and Wyoming, while remaining portions of several multi-time-zone states also finish voting.

Races to watch: Iowa has major Senate and governor races, Arizona has closely watched statewide and congressional contests, Wisconsin has a major governor race, and New York contains several House districts that could matter enormously in the battle for control of the chamber.

This is also the point in the evening when enough states may be reporting to give a much clearer picture of the national political environment.

10 p.m. ET — Nevada and the Mountain West

Polls close statewide in Nevada, Montana and Utah at 10 p.m. ET. Nevada is often one of the states watched late into the evening because close races can remain unresolved while additional mail ballots are counted.

Idaho and Oregon also begin closing at this hour, although portions of both states remain open until 11 p.m. ET.

11 p.m. ET — California and the West Coast

California and Washington close at 11 p.m. ET, along with the remaining portions of Oregon and Idaho. By this point most of the country has finished voting, but some of the House races that ultimately determine control of Congress may only be beginning to report.

Watch California closely: The state has several competitive congressional districts. Close California races can take days to call as counties continue processing mail ballots, meaning House control may not necessarily be settled Tuesday night.

Midnight and 1 a.m. ET — Hawaii and Alaska

Hawaii closes at midnight ET. Most Alaska polls also close at midnight Eastern, with the final regularly scheduled polling places in the western Aleutian Islands closing at 1 a.m. ET Wednesday.

For every state, time-zone exception and local closing-time note, see Election Central’s complete 2026 poll closing times guide.

What Does Each Party Need to Control Congress?

Republicans enter Election Day holding both chambers of Congress, but the margins are narrow enough that a relatively small number of races could determine which party controls Capitol Hill in 2027.

U.S. Senate

Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats. Democrats hold 45 seats, while two independents caucus with the Democrats, creating an effective 53-47 Republican majority.

There are 35 Senate races on the ballot this year, including two special elections. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to reach a 51-seat majority.

Follow individual contests, polling and battleground states in our 2026 Senate elections guide.

U.S. House

All 435 House seats are on the ballot. The current House includes 218 Republicans, 214 Democrats, one independent and two vacancies, with 218 seats required for a majority once all seats are filled.

Because the chamber is so closely divided, House control could come down to a small number of competitive districts. Some of those races are in California and other states where close results may not be known Tuesday night.

Follow the districts most likely to determine control in our 2026 House elections guide.

Will We Know Who Won the House and Senate Tonight?

We may know control of one or both chambers Tuesday night, but there is no guarantee. The Senate is concentrated in a smaller number of statewide contests, while the House could hinge on several extremely close districts where counting continues into Wednesday or beyond.

California, Arizona, Pennsylvania and other states have different rules for processing mail and provisional ballots, which means a close race can remain uncalled long after the polls have closed.

For a closer look at which results could take longer and why, see our guide: When Will We Know the 2026 Midterm Election Results?

2026 Election Night Resources

Results will continue arriving throughout Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. Some races may be called quickly, while others could remain unresolved for hours or days depending on the margin and the number of outstanding ballots.

Follow the 2026 Elections

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About the author

Nate Ashworth

Nate Ashworth is the founder and editor-in-chief of Election Central. He began covering presidential politics during the 2008 election and has written about campaigns, debates, polling and election news ever since.

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