On November 3, about 210 million registered voters will decide how much power Donald Trump has for the rest of his US presidency.
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Trump → register → presidency
Made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, Congress writes the country’s laws and controls federal spending.
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Congress → make → spending
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Trump → slam → them
In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera breaks down how the elections work, which races matter and what the results could mean for either party.
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results → break → party
What happens in the midterm elections?
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What → happen → elections
Held halfway through a US president’s four-year term, midterm elections decide the makeup of Congress.
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elections → hold → Congress
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats are being contested, including special elections in the states of Florida and Ohio to fill the seats vacated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.
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seats → contest → Rubio
Voters in 36 states will also elect governors.
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Voters → elect → governors
House members represent one congressional district each and serve two-year terms, while senators serve six-year terms.
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senators → represent → terms
Midterm elections are also widely considered a referendum on the sitting president’s performance.
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elections → consider → performance
Since 1946, the president’s party has lost an average of 26.5 seats in the House and a handful in the Senate in midterm elections, according to Todd Belt, a professor of political management at George Washington University.
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party → lose → University
Beyond Congress and governors, voters will also elect state legislators and local officials.
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voters → elect → legislators
Nadia Brown, a professor of government at Georgetown University, said that while national elections get most of the attention, “It is important to remember that local politics is where most Americans interact with government.”
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Americans → say → government
She added that “It is the local propositions or referendums on ballots [that] will impact the everyday lives of people.”
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that → add → people
Republicans hold majorities in both chambers.
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Republicans → hold → chambers
Losing either would give Democrats the power to block legislation and launch investigations into Trump’s administration.
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Losing → lose → administration
Democrats need to gain three seats in the House and four in the Senate to take control.
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Democrats → need → control
A 50-50 split in the Senate would leave Republicans in control, because Vance can cast tie-breaking votes.
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Vance → leave → votes
Belt said a Democratic victory could significantly limit Trump’s ability to pursue his domestic agenda.
“If Democrats take one chamber, all non-government funding legislation will grind to a halt,” he told Al Jazeera.
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he → say → Jazeera
How do House elections work?
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elections → work → ?
Its 435 members each represent one local district and serve two-year terms, so every seat is contested every two years.
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seat → represent → terms
Seats are divided among the states by population, based on the US Census conducted every 10 years.
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Seats → divide → Census
California, the most populous state, has 52 seats, while the least populous, such as Wyoming and Vermont, have one each.
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populous → have → one
A party needs 218 seats for a majority.
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party → need → majority
Republicans currently control the House, with 218 seats to the Democrats’ 214, and one independent sits with the Republicans.
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independent → control → Republicans
Two seats are vacant, one last held by each party.
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one → hold → party
The new House will be sworn in on January 3, 2027.
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House → swear → January
The House races to watch
Each district elects its own representative, and the party that wins 218 seats takes control, so a few narrow wins in close districts can decide the majority.
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wins → race → majority
Belt estimates that about 35 House races could decide the majority.
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races → estimate → majority
He predicts Democrats could gain about 15 seats, despite Republican redistricting that he says has given the party an advantage in nine additional districts.
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he → predict → districts
“People generally vote straight ticket, meaning they will vote for all the candidates of one party, so this is likely to affect down-ballot races [as well],” he said.
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he → vote → races
A battleground district is a seat either party could realistically win.
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party → win → ?
The graphic below highlights 12 of these key races to watch.
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graphic → highlight → races
How do Senate elections work?
The Senate is the upper house of the US Congress.
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Senate → work → Congress
Its 100 members, two from each state regardless of population, are elected statewide and serve six-year terms, with about a third of seats contested every two years.
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third → elect → seats
This year, 33 seats are being contested in regular elections, alongside special elections in Florida and Ohio.
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seats → contest → Florida
Those two contests will fill the remaining two years of terms previously held by Marco Rubio and JD Vance.
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contests → fill → Rubio
Of the 35 seats being contested, Republicans hold 22, and Democrats hold 13.
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Democrats → contest → 13
Republicans currently have 53 senators.
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Republicans → have → senators
Democrats have 45, and two independents sit with them, giving the Democratic bloc 47 seats.
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independents → have → seats
…and 61 more, not listed.
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