Mid-Term Elections: What You Need to Know and Do!
Midterm elections often decide who controls Congress, who runs state governments, and which local policies move forward. They usually draw less attention than presidential races, but their effects can be immediate and close to home.
In the United States, a midterm election happens halfway through a president’s four-year term. Voters choose all members of the U.S. House of Representatives, about one-third of the U.S. Senate, many governors, state lawmakers, judges in some states, and local officials. Ballot measures may also ask voters to approve or reject laws, taxes, constitutional amendments, or local funding.
The next federal midterm election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026. State and local deadlines can arrive weeks earlier, so the best time to get ready is before campaign season becomes noisy.
What midterm elections decide
Midterms are not one race. They are a large set of elections happening at the same time. The exact ballot depends on the state, county, city, and district.
At the federal level, voters decide the makeup of Congress.
The U.S. House of Representatives
Every House seat is on the ballot every two years. Representatives serve two-year terms, so voters choose all 435 voting members in each midterm. House races are tied to congressional districts within each state.
The party or coalition with a majority in the House controls key parts of the chamber’s agenda. That affects hearings, investigations, budget bills, and which legislation reaches the floor.
The U.S. Senate
Senators serve six-year terms, and the Senate is divided into three groups, often called classes. About one-third of Senate seats appear on the ballot in any federal election year.
Senate control matters because the chamber votes on federal judges, Cabinet nominees, treaties, and legislation. A close Senate can shape what a president can pass or appoint.
Governors and state executives
Many states elect governors during midterm years. Some states also vote for attorneys general, secretaries of state, treasurers, auditors, insurance commissioners, or other statewide offices.
These offices can have major influence over state budgets, public safety policy, education, election administration, consumer protection, and emergency response.
State legislatures
State senators and representatives often appear on midterm ballots. These races may get less coverage, but they drive a large share of the laws people encounter day to day.
State legislatures handle issues such as:
Public schools
State taxes
Transportation funding
Housing laws
Criminal justice rules
Health programs
Voting procedures
Environmental standards
Local offices and ballot measures
County commissioners, city council members, sheriffs, school board members, judges, clerks, and other local officials may also be on the ballot. Some of these races can be decided by small margins because turnout is lower than in presidential years.
Ballot measures can be just as important as candidate races. They may ask voters to approve bond funding, change a state constitution, raise or limit taxes, create new rules, or repeal existing ones.
Why midterms matter even when there is no presidential race
Presidential elections tend to dominate national attention. Midterms determine whether a president has a friendly Congress, a divided Congress, or a chamber controlled by the opposition.
That balance affects what can pass in Washington. If one party controls the House, Senate, and White House, it may have a clearer path to pass major bills. If control is split, lawmakers usually need more negotiation to pass legislation.
Midterms also act as a national temperature check. Voters often use them to respond to the president’s performance, the economy, major court decisions, foreign policy events, or local concerns. That does not mean every race is a referendum on the White House. Many contests turn on state issues, candidate quality, district boundaries, and turnout.
For many voters, the most direct effects come from races farther down the ballot. A school board can affect curriculum decisions and district budgets. A county commission can influence roads, parks, zoning, and public services. A judge may shape how laws are applied in real cases.
Do you know what you can and can not do as a private school educator?
Download and Customize the School Election Presentation
An editable PowerPoint presentation is available below for use at your school. It contains no audio narration, so you may present the slides at your own pace and add your own explanation.
How to download and open the presentation
Click the PowerPoint file attached below this message.
If prompted, choose Download or Save. The file will usually be saved in your computer’s Downloads folder.
Open that folder and double-click the downloaded file to open it in Microsoft PowerPoint. You will need PowerPoint or another application that supports .pptx files.
If PowerPoint displays a Protected View message, click Enable Editing if you trust the downloaded file.
How to play the presentation
In PowerPoint, click Slide Show → From Beginning. Use the right-arrow key or click your mouse to advance through the slides. Use the left-arrow key to return to the previous slide. Press Esc to end the presentation.
How to add your school’s election policies
You are welcome to adapt the presentation for your school. Before making changes, select File → Save As and save a copy with a new name, such as Our School Election Presentation.pptx.
To edit a slide, select it in the left-hand panel and click the text you want to change. To add a slide for your school’s policies, select Home → New Slide. You may add your school’s name, expectations for staff and students, and approved election policies.
Before sharing your revised presentation, have the appropriate school administrator review it to confirm that it accurately reflects your school’s current policies.
Your changes affect only your saved copy. The original presentation on this blog remains unchanged.
Click the PowerPoint attachment below to download your copy.
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