The most important developments at a glance:
The polling stations will also open in Texas from 2:00 p.m. CET. But this time, of all places, a Democrat could win in the Republican stronghold, as ARD correspondent Sarah Schmidt reports:
One can expect a high level of motivation to vote, says political scientist Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook from the Bertelsmann Foundation at tagesschau24. “Many people are now pushing for this midterms day.” People wanted to hold Trump accountable; the most pressing issue was the economic situation. "They can't afford to go to the supermarket anymore, they can't get gas anymore." Some even actively skipped meals - "that's the definition of hunger."
Other important issues for voters include corruption, the rapprochement with Russia, the drastic US migration policy and the war in Iran.
In many states on the East Coast such as New York and New Hampshire, polling stations have now been open since 12:00 p.m. CET. In the northeastern state of Vermont, some polling stations were scheduled to open an hour earlier. This will be followed later by a large part of the Republican stronghold of Texas (2 p.m. CET), Colorado (3 p.m. CET) and California on the west coast (4 p.m. CET).
Although he himself is not up for election today - but of course a lot of the midterms revolve around President Trump. His poll numbers recently fell to a historic low.
Oil prices rose on the day of the midterms following reports of US military attacks in Iran. A barrel (159 liters) of the reference Brent crude oil from the North Sea for delivery in January is now trading at around 106 US dollars, around 1.5 percent higher than yesterday.
According to consistent media reports, the US attacked targets on the Iranian island of Gheshm in the Strait of Hormuz. Just hours earlier, Trump said that many believed the war with Iran was coming to an end. The unpopular conflict is making the cost of living in the USA more expensive.
The Republicans entered the final sprint of the election campaign with significantly more full coffers than the Democrats. Their candidates benefit in particular from the gigantic fundraising organization MAGA Inc. Tesla boss Elon Musk also dug deep into his own pockets and also supported Republican candidates with several hundred million dollars.
In the battleground states, Republicans spent $188 million more on Senate election advertising than Democrats through the end of September, according to data from analysis firm AdImpact, which specializes in monitoring political advertising. According to your information, more was spent on election advertising in 2026 than ever before.
How US democracy will develop will be decided today and in the 2028 presidential election, says historian Manfred Berg in an interview with NDR Info. But even if he loses, Trump will stick to his style of politics.
It could take days or weeks until the majority in Congress is determined. The reason for this is the different regulations for counting votes in the states. A scenario with days of uncertainty is likely, especially if the majority in one of the congressional chambers is particularly narrow. This could be the case this time, especially in the Senate.
In the midterm elections four years ago, there was no certainty for the Senate until four days after the election, and for the House of Representatives only eight days later. In the elections eight years ago, however, the situation was already clarified on election night.
The federal government is also watching the outcome of the midterms with interest. The relationship between Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Trump was not always free of conflict; ARD Capital Studio correspondent Nicole Markwald describes the status of the transatlantic relationship as “complicated”.
Millions of Americans are voting today on the future composition of the House in Washington. In the midterms, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and a good third of the 100 Senate seats are up for election. So far, US President Donald Trump's Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in both chambers of Congress.
Just two years ago, many Hispanic Americans voted for Donald Trump and his Republicans. Among other things, they had pinned their hopes on Trump's promise to reduce the cost of living. But now the skyrocketing prices for gasoline, food and health care in particular are causing frustration. Around 36 million Latinos are eligible to vote in this year's midterms - making them an important group of voters.
The US midterm elections are also an issue on the German stock market. Investors were nervous, the DAX fell back at the start of trading.
The Democrats are given a good chance of winning the election, also due to the high level of dissatisfaction with President Trump. “Experts are already expecting a lesson for Trump,” says ARD correspondent Torben Börgers in Washington. In the House of Representatives it could be enough for the Democrats to gain a majority, but in the Senate polls would show the race being much closer.
Before the US congressional elections, President Donald Trump repeatedly sowed doubts about the correctness of voting in democratic states. After the 2020 presidential election, Trump did not accept his defeat against Democrat Joe Biden and claimed that the election had been “stolen” from him.
Parallel to the general elections, dozens of referendums are taking place in US states, such as California. This is where a vote will be taken on whether billionaires will be asked to pay. According to “Proposition 40,” all billionaire residents of the state as of January 1, 2026 are supposed to give up five percent of their assets once. The money - estimates range from 30 to 100 billion US dollars - will flow into the healthcare system. Such a tax on the rich would also affect Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg.
US President Donald Trump dedicated his last public speech before the midterm elections on Tuesday to the rehabilitation of a water basin in Washington. At the reopening of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Monday, he spoke for more than 20 minutes about pipes, joints and algae. Trump said he had many great things planned for the capital.
The election often takes place weeks in advance, as millions of Americans use postal voting or vote early. On Sunday afternoon (local time), the Election Lab at the University of Florida counted over 54 million early votes.
The US Democrats need to gain four seats in the congressional elections in order to take the majority in the Senate from President Donald Trump's Republicans. Things could get exciting in Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Kansas and Alaska, among others.
Since 1845, elections in the United States have been held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. In the strongly agricultural and religiously influenced United States of the 19th century, this day was chosen for two reasons: Firstly, sowing and harvest were already over, while winter had not yet begun. On the other hand, no one had to travel to a polling station on a Sunday service.
US President Donald Trump suffered another legal defeat one day before the congressional elections. The Supreme Court rejected a request by the Trump administration to throw out the ballots of more than 20,000 voters in the state of California. The Supreme Court did not give a reason.
Last week, a federal court rejected the Justice Department's move to invalidate the votes of 20,000 voters. The ministry had raised doubts about their US citizenship. The Federal Court criticized the move as brazen interference shortly before the election.
After the polls close, the major US broadcasters announce the winners in individual races in the evening - in Germany on Wednesday night. If the Democrats win a clear majority in the House of Representatives, US media are likely to announce this late in the evening or at night. Theoretically, it is also possible that this will not happen on election night because the race overall is so close that every or almost every parliamentary mandate counts.
The first polling stations open on Tuesday morning at 5 a.m. local time (11 a.m. CET) in the eastern United States. The last ones close on Wednesday in the northwestern state of Alaska between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. CET.
US President Donald Trump is not planning any public appearances on the day of the midterm elections. According to his calendar published by the White House, several closed meetings are scheduled. This includes a conversation with the US Ambassador to Portugal, John Joseph Arrigo.
A private reception is planned for election night in the East Room of the White House. Whether it stays that way, however, could depend on the Republicans' performance and how the count goes.
The midterm elections for both chambers of Congress are taking place in the USA today. All members of the House of Representatives and about a third of the Senate will be re-elected.
After weeks of campaigning, it will be decided whose arguments will appeal more to voters. The midterms are an important test of sentiment for US President Trump, who has made numerous campaign appearances until recently, even though he himself is not on the ballot.
Traditionally, the midterms take place two years after a presidential election, just before the halfway point of a president's four-year term. Trump's Republicans currently have a majority in both chambers, which helps him get his plans through Parliament relatively easily. If the Democrats win the majority in the House or Senate in the midterms, that would change.
In addition, new governors, i.e. the heads of government of the states, will be elected today in 36 states and three territories (US foreign territories).
