Tomorrow, on November 3, voters across the country will head to the polls for the 2026 midterm elections. They will decide control of Congress, elect governors, and weigh in on a range of state ballot measures. The results will shape the direction of state and federal policy for reproductive freedom, gender equality, voting access, and other important issues.
With 35 US Senate, all 435 House races, and 36 governorships on the ballot, several races are drawing national attention. Voters in multiple states will also decide on ballot measures that could expand or restrict constitutional protections, reproductive health care access, and the rights of transgender people.
Key Senate Races
Republicans currently hold a majority in the Senate and would need to keep that to continue their agenda. Democrats would need to gain four seats to take control of the chamber, making several closely contested races particularly consequential.
Alaska: Democratic candidate Mary Peltola is challenging Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. The race has drawn national attention as it could help determine control of the Senate.
Georgia: Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is seeking reelection against Republican challenger Mike Collins. Georgia is one of the Democratic-held Senate seats the party is seeking to retain and one the Republicans want to take back, following Ossoff’s victory in the 2020 special election.
Iowa: With Republican Sen. Joni Ernst not seeking reelection, the open seat has drawn a competitive field. Democrat Josh Turek faces Republican Ashley Hinson in a race that could factor into the balance of power in the Senate.
Kansas: Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is seeking reelection against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton. The race is receiving attention as Democrats compete in a state that has traditionally favored Republican candidates in statewide elections.
Maine: Republican Sen. Susan Collins is seeking another term and is being challenged by Democratic candidate Troy Jackson. Collins has represented Maine in the Senate since 1997.
Michigan: With Democratic Sen. Gary Peters retiring, the open seat is being contested by Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers. The outcome will determine who represents Mighican in the Senate and could affect the balance of power in Washington as Michigan is considered a swing state. Mike Rogers previously ran for Senate in 2024 and lost to Elissa Slotkin.
Minnesota: Democratic Sen. Tina Smith is retiring, leaving an open seat contested by Democrat Peggy Flanagan and Republican Michele Tafoya. The race will determine who succeeds Smith and represents Minnesota in the Senate.
Nebraska: Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts is seeking reelection against independent challenger Dan Osborn. With no Democratic nominee in the race, Osborn’s independent campaign has attracted attention as he attempts to challenge the Republican incumbent.
New Hampshire: With Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen retiring, Democrat Chris Pappas and Republican John Sununu are competing for the open seat. New Hampshire is another Democratic-held seat the party will seek to retain as it works to maintain its representation in the Senate.
North Carolina: Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is retiring, leaving an open seat contested by Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley. Cooper’s statewide political experience as a former governor has made the contest one of the races drawing national attention.
Ohio: Democrat Sherrod Brown is seeking to return to the Senate against Republican incumbent Jon Husted. Husted was appointed to the seat following Vice President JD Vance’s departure from the Senate, making this a special election to determine who will serve the remainder of the term.
South Carolina: A seat that has been traditionally held by Republicans is now in play. Republican Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed to fill the seat following the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, is seeking election against Democratic challenger Annie Andrews.
Texas: Democrat James Talarico is challenging Republican Ken Paxton for an open Senate seat after incumbent Sen. John Cornyn lost the Republican primary runoff. The contest is among the most closely watched races in the country as both parties compete for control of the Senate.
Key Governor Races
Governors play an important role in shaping state policy, overseeing executive agencies and signing or vetoing legislation. The 2026 elections will determine leadership in 36 states, with several races drawing attention because of their potential implications for reproductive health care, education, voting and civil rights.
Alaska: Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Dave Bronson, Treg Taylor and Bernadette Wilson are among the candidates in Alaska’s gubernatorial election. The state’s top-four ranked-choice voting system allows multiple candidates to advance to the November ballot.
Arizona: Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is seeking reelection against Republican challenger Andy Biggs. The race will determine the state’s leadership on issues including reproductive health care, education and election administration.
Florida: Democrat David Jolly and Republican Byron Donalds are competing for the open governorship following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ departure from office at the end of his second term. The race comes as Florida continues to debate restrictions on abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and public education, all of which could remain central issues under the next administration.
Georgia: Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson are competing for the open seat as Gov. Brian Kemp reaches the end of his second term. As a closely watched presidential battleground state, Georgia’s next governor will also play an important role in overseeing election administration and determining the direction of state policy.
Iowa: Democrat Rob Sand and Republican Zach Lahn are competing for the governorship as Gov. Kim Reynolds leaves office. Sand, currently the state’s auditor, is seeking to become the first Democratic governor of Iowa since 2011, while the race also comes amid ongoing debates over abortion restrictions and public education.
Kansas: Democrat Cindy Holscher and Republican Ty Masterson are competing for the open seat as Gov. Laura Kelly reaches the end of her second term. Kelly’s two terms have made Kansas a closely watched state for its approach to reproductive health care, particularly following the state’s 2022 vote to protect abortion rights.
Michigan: Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican John James are competing for the open governorship as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reaches the end of her term. Benson’s experience as Michigan’s secretary of state brings election administration into focus, while James has experience in the US House.
New Hampshire: Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte is seeking reelection against Democratic challenger Cinde Warmington. The race will determine whether Republicans retain control of the governorship and comes as the state continues to debate abortion restrictions, reproductive health care and access to education.
Nevada: Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is seeking reelection against Democratic challenger Aaron Ford. Nevada voters will decide whether to extend Lombardo’s administration or elect a new governor.
Ohio: Democrat Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy are competing for the open seat as Gov. Mike DeWine reaches the end of his second term. Acton, Ohio’s former health director, and Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate, bring different backgrounds to a race that will help determine the state’s approach to various issues.
Texas: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking reelection against Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa. With Texas continuing to enforce some of the country’s most restrictive abortion laws, the outcome will have significant implications for reproductive health care access and the state’s broader direction on education and civil rights.
Wisconsin: Democrat David Crowley and Republican Tom Tiffany are competing for the open governorship as Gov. Tony Evers leaves office. The race is particularly important given Wisconsin’s closely divided political landscape and the governor’s influence over state election administration, reproductive health care and education.
Key State Ballot Measures
In addition to choosing candidates for federal and state office, voters will decide numerous ballot measures that could have lasting effects on state constitutions and laws. Several of the most closely watched measures concern reproductive freedom, gender equality, transgender rights, and voting access.
Reproductive Freedom and Abortion
Idaho Proposition 1: Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act
Idaho voters will decide whether to establish a statutory right to make private reproductive health care decisions. The measure would protect access to abortion, contraception, fertility treatments, pregnancy care and miscarriage management. Its passage could significantly change reproductive health care protections in a state that currently enforces a near-total abortion ban.
Missouri Amendment 3: Prohibit Abortion and Gender Transition Procedures for Minors Amendment
Missouri voters will decide whether to repeal the reproductive freedom protections approved by voters in 2024 and establish new restrictions on abortion. The measure would prohibit abortion in most cases and also restrict gender-affirming medical care for minors, including surgeries, hormone treatments and puberty blockers.
Nevada Question 6: Right to Abortion Amendment
Nevada voters will consider a constitutional amendment establishing the right to abortion before fetal viability, with exceptions afterward when medically necessary to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health. The measure follows voters’ approval of the amendment in 2024, and requires a second approval for it to become part of the state constitution.
Virginia Question 1: Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment
Virginia voters will decide whether to add reproductive freedom protections to the state constitution. The amendment would protect decisions involving prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion, miscarriage management and fertility care, while allowing certain restrictions on third-trimester abortions with exceptions to protect a patient’s health or when a pregnancy is not viable.
Gender Equality and LGBTQ+ Rights
Several states will consider ballot measures addressing transgender student participation in school sports and access to gender-affirming health care. These proposals would establish or expand restrictions involving gender identity, athletic participation and medical treatment for trans youth.
Vermont Proposal 4: Equal Protection Amendment
Vermont voters will consider an amendment to the state constitution prohibiting the denial of rights based on race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or national origin. The measure would expand the state’s constitutional equal protection language to explicitly include these protected categories.
Virginia Question 2: Marriage Equality Amendment
Virginia voters will decide whether to remove the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. The amendment would affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender or race and require legally valid marriages to receive equal treatment under state law.
The measure would require schools and athletic associations to restrict participation in sports and access to restrooms, locker rooms and other private spaces based on sex as recorded on an individual’s original birth certificate. Its passage would establish additional restrictions affecting transgender students in Arizona schools.
Colorado Proposition 134: Sex Requirement for School and College Sports Initiative
Colorado voters will decide whether to require students to participate in school and college athletic teams that correspond with their biological sex, as defined by the measure. The proposal would establish sex-based eligibility requirements for school and collegiate sports.
This measure would prohibit health care professionals from performing certain surgeries on minors for the purpose of altering biological sex characteristics in response to a minor’s perception of sex or gender. It would also prohibit the use of state or federal funds for these procedures.
Nebraska Initiative Measure 442: Sex Requirement for School and College Sports Initiative
Nebraska voters will consider a measure requiring school and college athletic teams designated for girls and women to exclude students classified as male under the initiative. The proposal would establish sex-based eligibility requirements for school sports.
Washington Initiative 638: Sex Verification Requirements for Female School Sports Initiative
Washington voters will decide whether to prohibit students classified as “biologically male” from competing in female school athletic competitions. The measure would also require students seeking to participate in female sports to provide health care documentation verifying their sex.
In Virginia, in addition to the abortion and marriage equality ballot measures, Virginia voters will also decide on Question 3 the Voting Rights Restoration Amendment. Virginia voters will decide whether to automatically restore voting rights to individuals convicted of felonies upon their release from incarceration. Currently, the restoration of voting rights for people with felony convictions is subject to the governor’s authority. The amendment would establish an automatic restoration process in the state constitution.
The 2026 midterm elections will shape the composition of Congress, determine leadership across state governments and put important questions before the voters about constitutional protections. The results of these ballot measures and races will have implications for reproductive health care, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights and voting access well beyond Election Day.