Americans vote in midterms that will decide control of Congress, a day after the Supreme Court refused to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots

Illustrative image: “I voted” stickers, by visuals on Unsplash, Unsplash License. It was not taken at a 2026 polling station.

WASHINGTON — Polls opened on the US East Coast on Tuesday, November 3, in midterm elections that will decide whether President Donald Trump’s Republicans keep control of Congress. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 Senate seats and 36 governorships are on the ballot.

Republicans hold the Senate 53-47 and also control the House. Democrats need a net gain of three House seats and four Senate seats to take each chamber, Infobae reported. A projection by Decision Desk HQ gives Democrats 241 House seats to 194 for Republicans and a narrower 52-48 Senate majority. More than 57 million people voted early, and campaign advertising spending passed $11 billion.

Last-minute court fights

On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected an emergency request from the Justice Department to make California set aside the mail ballots of about 20,000 people the administration says may not be US citizens. The one-line, unsigned order recorded no dissents. It was the government’s fourth defeat in the case after rulings by a federal district judge and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. An NPR investigation found that some people on the government’s list appear to have been born in the United States, and the underlying case remains open.

In Alaska, a court on Monday rejected a Justice Department lawsuit that could have been used to block certification of the Senate result if Republican Dan Sullivan loses narrowly, according to Infobae.

Trump: pardons and vetoes

In a podcast interview on Monday with Pod Force One, Trump said he would not hesitate to pardon people who worked for him and that he would become “Mr. Veto” if Democrats win Congress, predicting that they would eventually negotiate. Overriding a veto requires two-thirds majorities in both chambers. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called Trump’s closing message “pathetic.” Trump, who voted early in Florida, planned to follow results from the White House from 7pm local time.

Redrawn maps

The vote is also a test of mid-decade redistricting. About 35 million voters will cast ballots in newly drawn districts, Al Jazeera reported. Republicans redrew maps in Texas and several other states and hope to gain at least 13 seats nationally from the changes, while Democrats redrew California’s map; polling suggests the Republican gains may be smaller than hoped.

Voters’ concerns include inflation, tariffs, fuel prices and the war with Iran. Infobae put Trump’s approval rating near 30%. Republicans argue that Trump’s tax cuts and immigration restrictions benefit citizens.

Confirmed and pending

Confirmed: the seats at stake, the Supreme Court order and the early-vote figure reported by Infobae. Pending: results, which in close races may take days, and any post-election legal challenges. SagaTVec.lat will report the outcome on Wednesday.

Sources

• Infobae — The US votes in midterms that put Trump’s control of Congress at stake (Nov 3, 2026)
• Infobae — Supreme Court refuses to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots (Nov 3, 2026)
• Infobae — Trump on pardons and vetoes (Nov 2, 2026)
• Al Jazeera — US midterms test Republican redistricting (Nov 3, 2026)

Mary del Castillo · Americas · Virtual editorial byline
English adaptation: Lin Wei · Editorial direction: Leonidas Ferraz · November 3, 2026 · AI-assisted writing