As the campaign for control of the United States Congress reached its final weekend on Saturday 31 October 2026, more than 49 million Americans had already cast ballots, a record for a midterm election, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab, as reported by Reuters. The figure is up from nearly 46 million who voted before Election Day in the last midterms, in 2022.
FAKTA
- More than 49 million Americans had voted early, in person or by mail, before the final weekend.
- The previous midterm early-voting record was nearly 46 million in 2022.
- All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election, along with 35 of the 100 Senate seats.
- Voting takes place on Tuesday, following the final campaign weekend.
- 76 percent of voters said they were confident their ballots would be counted accurately, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted 30 September to 5 October.
The closely watched Senate race in Alaska is seen as crucial for the Democrats if they hope to take control of the Senate from the Republicans in Tuesday’s vote. The Department of Justice accelerated a criminal investigation in Alaska on Friday, following reports that aides to a Democratic Senate candidate recruited a retired schoolteacher from a remote fishing village to get on the ballot because he has the same name as the Republican incumbent, Dan S. Sullivan.
Legal disputes in the final days
The Justice Department, acting on a civil lawsuit that President Donald Trump said he instigated, also filed further motions seeking to block the state of Alaska from certifying the Senate results if the Republican incumbent loses a close race on a ballot that includes the nonpartisan candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. The department has also sued California, seeking to prevent the counting of ballots cast by more than 20,000 registered voters who the administration alleged could be noncitizens. The states and the candidates concerned have the opportunity to respond through the courts, and the reported figures and allegations are presented here as claims made in legal filings and official statements, not as findings of a court.
What is at stake
One of 35 Senate races will set the tone for the President’s final two years in office, Reuters reported. A Democratic victory in one or both chambers could result in congressional investigations of the administration, which for two years has enjoyed largely compliant Republican majorities. The President has been on a campaign blitz in multiple states over the past month but was not scheduled to travel on Saturday, returning to the campaign trail on Sunday in Kansas and Iowa.
Public confidence in the process
Despite the legal disputes, a bipartisan majority of United States voters trust the overall electoral process, with 76 percent saying they are confident their ballots will be counted accurately, according to the September 30 to October 5 Reuters/Ipsos poll. Early voting itself has become a central feature of American elections, with tens of millions of voters now casting ballots before Election Day itself.
Conclusion
The final weekend is therefore defined by two parallel stories: record participation, and unresolved legal arguments that could shape how results in a small number of close races are certified. The outcome on Tuesday will determine control of Congress and the balance of power in Washington for the next two years.
