Midterm 2026: Voters decide control of Congress amid machine glitches and early turnout

American voters are deciding who controls the House and Senate in the 2026 midterm elections. The contest includes all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, and 36 governor races. More than 59 million citizens cast ballots before Tuesday, according to the University of Florida Voting Lab. Polls close at 7 p.m. ET in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.

Technical issues disrupted voting in New York State. The New York State Board of Elections attributed problems in Westchester County to a late programming change that failed to load on all machines. County officials stated that every eligible vote will be counted despite the scanner errors. In Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he does not expect these issues to delay the final results.

Fulton County officials identified two separate ballot machine issues affecting two polling locations. The problems impact roughly 1,000 early-voting ballots. Meanwhile, Michigan data showed that 32.9% of active registered voters had already cast ballots by 7 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Candidate activity continued in competitive states. Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate candidate in Michigan, voted on Tuesday morning and told reporters he felt really good about where the campaign stood. Josh Turek, the Democrat for Senate in Iowa, cast his ballot in Council Bluffs and described his feelings as great. Susan Collins, the incumbent Republican senator in Maine, said she was not concerned about polls showing her trailing. She told CBS News that the only poll that counts is the one on Election Day.

Legal and security matters also surfaced near the polls. Biddeford Police in Maine are investigating vandalism outside Susan Collins' office in the town. Federal prosecutors in Kansas indicted a postal worker for stealing thousands of pieces of mail, including nearly 400 Republican political mailers. An Oklahoma man faces federal charges for mailing hundreds of letters containing white powder to public officials and media outlets ahead of the 2024 and 2026 elections.

Rick Jackson, the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, voted in Forsyth County. He said the experience reinforced his confidence in the state's voting system. The 2026 election results may not be fully known on election night, but officials in affected jurisdictions say the process is moving forward.