Midterms 2026
Breakdown in voting machines, 23 polling stations relocated at short notice
November 3, 2026, 8:01 p.m
In the US state of New York, machines for counting votes are down, but voting still takes place. In Florida, 23 polling stations are moving at short notice due to the risk of flooding.
All developments in the live blog
In addition to our own research, we use material from the news agencies dpa, Reuters, epd, KNA and Bloomberg for our live blog.
Important updates
20 minutes ago
The US Department of Justice is sending 1,000 election observers - mostly to Democratic electoral districts
44 minutes ago
23 polling stations in Florida relocated at short notice
58 minutes ago
These are the most important duels in the midterms
6:09 p.m
Problems reported with counting machines in New York State
12:25 p.m
How reliable are the polls before the midterms?
23 polling stations in Florida relocated at short notice
Storms and rain caused difficult conditions in at least some states during the US general election. In Florida, 23 polling stations were moved to other locations at short notice due to the risk of flooding. “For the safety of our poll workers and voters (…) due to these unprecedented circumstances, it is necessary to move some polling stations to other premises,” said the Brevard County elections director, according to CNN.
Rain spread over the states in the middle of the country, affecting, among others, Iowa, Kansas and Texas, where important election decisions are pending. The forecast is for showers to spread further north and east during the afternoon (local time), reaching parts of Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The US Department of Justice is sending 1,000 election observers - mostly to Democratic electoral districts
The US Department of Justice is sending 1,000 election observers to all 50 states. The ministry said this was the largest observation operation on Election Day in the history of the authority. The number of observers is around three times as high as in the last midterm elections. According to the announcement, they should check compliance with federal election laws. In the United States, federal voting is also organized by individual states according to their respective laws.
According to a Washington Post analysis, nearly two-thirds of the precincts selected for election monitoring voted consistently Democratic in the last election. The Justice Department justifies its election observers with transparency, but Democrats fear the government could exert influence or sow doubt about the results.
Anne Eberhard
These are the most important duels in the midterms
According to surveys, in many states the election winners have already been determined with a high degree of probability - they are traditionally in the hands of the Republicans or the Democrats. In other states it will be a neck-and-neck race. For example, while the Democrats are doing surprisingly well in classic Republican states like Texas, Alaska and Kansas, they are having astonishing problems elsewhere. For example in the traditionally democratic states of Minnesota and Maine, but even more so in Michigan.
Where does it get particularly exciting? Our US correspondents introduce you to eight of the most interesting duels:
Problems reported with counting machines in New York State
The counts in Westchester County in the US state of New York are likely to take a little longer than planned. Because there are problems with the counting machines there. The local elections board was "aware of an issue regarding the thickness of paper ballots" that resulted in voting machines across the county not accepting the ballots, the agency said in a statement. Election officials were working to “ensure that the election continues with as little disruption as possible” and to “take all necessary steps to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.” Every vote would be counted.
Westchester County is a populous suburban county with a crucial fight for a House seat.
Carim Soliman
Astronauts vote in US midterm elections aboard the ISS
Hundreds of kilometers above the earth, US citizens also cast their votes in the general election. “All three U.S. crew members had the privilege of voting from the space station,” wrote International Space Station astronaut Anil Menon. “We filled out an electronic ballot and sent it securely to the election authorities.”
NASA astronauts have been able to take part in US elections from space since 1997. According to the US space agency, astronauts fill out the voting forms in space, which are then transmitted in encrypted form.
Lilian Köhler
Will he win the California gubernatorial election?
With more than 39 million residents and enormous economic power, California is contesting one of the most important positions in the US midterm elections. The Democrats have ruled there since 2011. In polls, their candidate Xavier Becerra is clearly leading. For the first time in 150 years, a governor with Mexican roots could rule the state. The midterms will focus on Congress, but 36 governorships will also be up for grabs.
You can read the text by US correspondent Peter Burghardt about the gubernatorial election in California here:
Trump appears confident of victory
US President Donald Trump once again appeared confident of victory on the day of the US parliamentary elections. “I think the results will be better than people think,” Trump told Fox News. He is convinced that his Republicans will maintain their majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate. He himself wants to follow the results in the White House.
Trump himself is not voting, but the vote is considered a referendum on his policies. The outcome of the midterms will shape the remaining two years of the Trump administration.
Lilian Köhler
Trump's America is becoming unaffordable for many
Wages in America are growing slower than inflation, meaning people can afford less and less. From the point of view of many Americans, the limit of what is bearable has now been exceeded. Instead of stopping inflation, Trump is fueling it. First he imposed tariffs that made many goods in the USA more expensive. Then he had Iran bombed. But the affordability crisis doesn't affect everyone: the country is divided into winners and losers.
Our business correspondent in New York Ann-Kathrin Nezik was in Macon, Georgia. You can read her text here:
“I hope for a blue wave”
Charlotte Walser, US correspondent for the SZ, is in the capital Washington D.C. on election day. on the road and talks to voters. According to the Election Lab at the University of Florida, almost 60 million votes have already been cast in advance.
Kim Ball voted at the Eastern Market polling station in D.C. on Election Day itself. coordinated. She is of the opinion that the country is developing in the wrong direction. She is therefore hoping for a “blue wave” – that is, clear gains for the Democrats.
Isabelle Herschy goes to the polls with her daughter Magdalena and says, above all, she is voting for her daughter. Better educational opportunities and lower costs of living are important to her. Christal Allerbie says she is voting "to ensure that democracy is protected."
Lilian Köhler
Trump's record is poor
Two years after his renewed election victory, Trump's polls are worse than ever. Only a third of Americans are satisfied with him. While Trump's wealth rises, less wealthy US residents suffer from the horrendous cost of living.
Trump had promised to reduce inflation and keep the US out of wars. Exactly the opposite happened. In his world, however, everything is fine: the war against Iran is almost won and the price of gasoline will soon be back under control.
You can read more about this in the text by US correspondent Peter Burghardt from Washington:
Lilian Köhler
How reliable are the polls before the midterms?
The US elects a new House of Representatives and a third of the Senate. According to polls and election analysts, the opposition Democrats have a good chance of at least winning the House of Representatives.
But how reliable are these surveys? In the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, Republicans performed significantly better than predicted. In 2024, the polls also slightly underestimated Trump. One possible explanation could be that MAGA movement supporters are harder to reach for pollsters. The Washington Post recently reported on difficulties in obtaining a representative database: "We did a survey in Kansas. Democrats wanted to talk. Republicans didn't want to talk." In addition, surveys are always snapshots, can fluctuate and are therefore subject to uncertainty.
Projections for the first states are expected on the evening of November 3rd (US East Coast local time), i.e. after midnight German time. If the Democrats win both chambers of Congress, they could make it noticeably more difficult for Trump to govern.
The first polling stations are open
It is still very early in the USA, but the midterm elections have already begun in many states on the East Coast. In New York and New Hampshire, polling stations opened at 6 a.m. (12 p.m. CET). In the northeastern state of Vermont, some polling stations were scheduled to open an hour earlier.
From 7 a.m. local time, most of Texas (2 p.m. CET), Colorado (3 p.m. CET) and California on the west coast (4 p.m. CET) will follow. Polling stations open the latest in Alaska and Hawaii (5 and 6 p.m. CET).
The first results are expected to be known on Wednesday night according to Central European Time. It will probably take a while until the majority in the two chambers of parliament is established.
This is how the midterms are going in the USA
In the USA, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 Senate seats will be reassigned this Tuesday. After weeks of postal voting and early voting, the first regular polling stations in Vermont will open at 11 a.m. Central European Time (CET). In parts of Indiana and Kentucky they close at midnight Wednesday. Voting ends at 1 a.m. CET in Georgia, among others, and at 5 a.m. in California. The last polls in Alaska's Western Aleutian Islands close at 7 a.m. ET.
President Donald Trump's Republicans currently have majorities in both chambers. If the Democrats win one of these, they could block proposed legislation and exert greater control over the government through parliamentary investigations. The outcome of the midterm elections is therefore crucial for Trump's future government work.
The first partial results are expected after the respective polling stations close. It is unclear when the majorities will be determined. Counting rules vary by state; Postal votes counted later can still change the interim results. In close races, the decision can take several days. The new legislative period begins on January 3, 2027 at 12 p.m. in Washington, i.e. at 6 p.m. CET.
Barbara Klimke
Supreme Court rejects Trump motion in California election dispute
US President Donald Trump has suffered defeat in a legal dispute over allegedly incorrectly issued ballots in California. While the appeal process was still ongoing, the government wanted to make an urgent application to the Supreme Court to have California separately store ballot papers from around 20,000 alleged foreigners until their identities were clarified. The Supreme Court rejected this just a few hours after receiving the application.
Without justification and without dissenting votes, the judges refused to intervene in the dispute. The government accuses California of issuing ballots to nonresidents and sought to have those ballots segregated until the voters' identities were determined. The government had failed in lower courts and then moved to the Supreme Court the day before the congressional elections. California, on the other hand, accuses Trump of sowing doubts about the democratic process in the US state.
The Supreme Court announced its rejection on the eve of the midterms. The justices refrained from asking California to comment, which is common practice when they consider a case close. The broadcaster CNN commented that the Supreme Court's reaction was unusually quick.
