Welcome to the Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, Brew.
By: Briana Ryan
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Voters will decide elections in all 50 states today — here's what to know before you head to the polls
Voters will decide elections in all 50 states today — here's what to know before you head to the polls
Voters across the country are heading to the polls today, Nov. 3, to decide congressional, state, and local races, as well as statewide and local ballot measures. We’re following a total of 44,443 races today featuring a total of 80,984 candidates.
Whether you already voted early or are casting your ballot today, here's a look at what's on the ballot, where the balance of power stands, and how to follow the results tonight.
Before you vote
If you're voting today, use our Sample Ballot Lookup tool to see every candidate and measure on your ballot. Enter your address, and the tool pinpoints your districts, lists the races and measures on your ballot, and links to the information we have on each candidate. That information can include a candidate's biography, campaign themes, and responses to our Candidate Connection survey.
The tool also lists your state's polling hours and a link to find your polling place. It's important to check your polling hours because they vary by state and sometimes by county. The first polls close at 6:00 p.m. EST in the Eastern time zone portions of Indiana and Kentucky, and the last polls in Alaska’s westernmost time zone closes at 8:00 p.m. local time, or 1:00 EST on Nov. 4. Our guide to poll opening and closing times lists the hours for each state.
If you missed your state's registration deadline, you may still have options. Some states allow eligible voters to register and cast ballots on Election Day, though the rules and identification requirements vary by state. So check your state's voting page on Ballotpedia, such as Voting in Kentucky, or the Sample Ballot Lookup. Our state-by-state overview of voter identification laws outlines what you may need to bring.
Congressional and state elections
Here's where each major office stands heading into tonight, including how many seats each party is defending and the current balance of power. Each office links to the page where we'll post results.
U.S. Senate: Thirty-five seats are up for election, including special elections in Florida and Ohio. Republicans are defending 22 of those seats, and Democrats are defending 13. Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the chamber, including two independents who caucus with Democrats.
U.S. House of Representatives: All 435 seats are up for election. Republicans have a 218-214 majority in the chamber, including one independent who caucuses with Republicans. There are also two vacancies.
Governors: Thirty-six governorships are up for election. Democrats and Republicans are each defending 18 governorships. Republicans control 26 governorships nationally, and Democrats control 24.
Other state executive offices: Thirty-one lieutenant gubernatorial offices, 30 attorney general offices, and 26 secretary of state offices are up for election. Including down-ballot races, there are 296 state executive offices up for election across 43 states this year.
State legislatures: Elections are happening in 46 states for 88 of the 99 state legislative chambers. In total, 6,139 of the country's 7,386 state legislative seats are up for election. Republicans control 51 of the state legislative chambers whose members are up for election, and Democrats control 34. Additionally, power-sharing coalitions control two state legislative chambers, and one is split evenly between the two parties. Republicans control 57 state legislative chambers nationally, and Democrats control 39.
State supreme courts: Elections are happening in 25 states for state supreme court seats. Thirteen of the state supreme courts up for election have a majority of Republican-appointed/elected justices, 11 have a majority of Democratic-appointed/elected justices, and one court is split. Thirty-two state supreme courts have a majority of Republican-appointed/elected justices nationally, and 19 have a majority of Democratic-appointed/elected justices.
Local elections
Voters may also decide local elections for offices such as school boards, city councils, mayors, and county offices.
This year, we're covering school board elections in 475 districts, including every district in the 100 most populous U.S. cities and the 200 largest districts by enrollment. We're also covering municipal elections in 89 cities and 81 counties, including 33 mayoral races. In addition to those elections, we’re following every race on the ballot in 32 states as part of our expanded local coverage.
Voters in five states will also decide 15 recall elections against 24 local officials. Four of those recalls are related to data centers or government decisions concerning data center development.
Statewide and local ballot measures
Voters in 39 states will decide on 145 statewide measures. In total, 164 measures have been certified for statewide ballots this year — above the historical average of 153 in even-numbered years from 2014 through 2024.
We're following 10 policy trends across those measures: abortion, citizenship requirements for voting, criminal sentencing and bail, housing, income and wealth taxes, the initiative and referendum process, property taxes, sex-based sports eligibility and medical procedures for transgender minors, state constitutional rights, and voter identification requirements.
Our coverage of local measures includes those on the ballot for voters within the 100 most populous U.S. cities, within state capitals, and throughout California and Virginia. We're also following local measures related to electoral systems, such as ranked-choice voting (RCV), and data centers outside the most populous cities. Voters in 10 states will decide 41 local measures related to data centers.
Elections and measures to keep an eye on
Check out our lists of the Top 50 Elections to Watch and the Top 50 Ballot Measures to Watch to see the races and measures we'll be following most closely tonight. The elections list covers congressional, state executive, state supreme court, state legislative, and local races we picked based on past results, race ratings, and the circumstances of each election. The ballot measures list covers 42 statewide and eight local measures on topics including elections and voting, abortion, taxes, housing, energy, firearms, and criminal justice.
We'll be back tomorrow morning with results and analysis. If you haven't voted yet, find your sample ballot and follow along on our 2026 election results page.