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Poll Watchers Deployed as Midterms Kick Off
· Confirmed
In Short: The RNC and DNC have each deployed thousands of poll watchers and lawyers for Election Day, with expected disputes.
Millions of Americans are casting their votes in person in the 2026 midterm election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as voters across the country head to the polls to decide congressional, state, and local races, as well as statewide and local ballot measures.
For this year’s hotly contested election, ABC News will be using a new poll called the Voter Poll to help answer critical questions of who won and why. This year, the Voter Poll will be conducted in every state with a Senate or governor's race, totaling 45 states.
Pre-election respondents who have not voted at the time of their initial response are recontacted starting at 5 p.m. The Voter Poll questionnaire asks who people voted for, their demographics, opinions about the candidates, and opinions on important issues such as the economy, foreign policy, healthcare, immigration, crime, and education.
Traditional exit polls are also being conducted in a number of states, and these data will be included in the Voter Poll. Early voting has surged in the 2026 United States midterm elections with more than 50 million Americans casting their ballots as of Sunday, according to an analysis by the University of Florida.
Voters must provide some form of photo identification at the polls, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office. In Nevada, same-day registration has been allowed since 2019.
Parties recruited thousands of poll monitors and launched aggressive legal efforts ahead of key midterm contests. This suggests that narrowly won elections will be grist for the litigation mill well after the polls close.
The first results could start arriving on Tuesday as polls begin to close. Polls will close at different times across the country, with election results expected to begin coming in on Tuesday evening.
The Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for New Hampshire to fully ban the use of student IDs for voting during the midterm elections.
What this adds
This report adds details on the deployment of poll watchers and lawyers by both the RNC and DNC, as well as the surge in early voting. It also highlights the increased number of DOJ election monitors compared to previous years. The sources have not established the exact number of poll watchers deployed by each party or the specific issues that will be most contentious on Election Day.
What's confirmed
- Polls will close at different times across the country, with election results expected to begin coming in on Tuesday evening.
What's still developing
- One reason I can’t wait for this midterm election to be over is that virtually every press organization that I know of is telling me that polls vote.
- You can call at 1-866-733-2463 or email elections@ct.gov.
- Groups such as Common Cause and the American Civil Liberties Union have joined with state Democratic parties, congressional leaders, and other activist groups to train poll monitors on what to look for on Election Day.
- “We’ve never done this before,” Kleeb said of the party’s sweeping efforts.