Voters Decide 2026 Midterms: Trump's Report Card, AI Data Centres, and Results That May Take Days
A nationwide vote on November 3 will determine control of Congress and deliver a direct verdict on President Donald Trump's second term, while dozens of local measures on artificial intelligence data centres also go before voters and election officials warn that close results may take time to finalize.
On November 3, voters across the United States will cast ballots in the 2026 midterm elections, deciding not only who holds congressional seats but also a range of state and local races [1]. The vote is widely seen as a direct verdict on President Donald Trump's second term and a chance for voters to say whether he has kept his promises [2]. The results will reveal important signals about the future direction of American politics and indicate how much power each party holds going into the next election cycle [4].
Beyond federal offices, voters in states from Ohio to Illinois will decide dozens of local measures on Tuesday concerning the large buildings that power artificial intelligence (AI) [6]. Opposition to these data centres crosses party lines, meaning people from both political sides share concerns about them [6].
As part of a "Voter Voices" series, the BBC asked Americans across the country which issue will shape their vote, with their answers revealing what matters most to voters ahead of the election [5].
Election law expert David Becker, CBS News election law contributor and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said midterm election results could take a while to finalize [8]. Speaking on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," he reminded voters that this timing reflects the "normal process" of counting votes in close elections [8].