The key facts
- Voting in the US midterm elections began on 3 November 2026.
- BBC News will provide round-the-clock coverage on TV, radio and in digital formats with presenters in Washington.
- Official results will be certified by the states later; current figures are published as projections based on AP and CBS analysis.
Start of voting and coverage format
On 3 November 2026 voters in the United States began casting their ballots in the midterm elections, the results of which will determine the country's political landscape for the next two years. BBC News launched comprehensive coverage of the events across all of its platforms, including the website, the app and its television channels. The broadcast of the final election results programme will begin at 23:30 GMT (18:30 EST) after polling stations close on the East Coast, with Clive Myrie, Sumi Somaskanda and Catriona Perry serving as presenters.
Radio, podcasts and the morning review
For listeners in the UK and beyond, a special radio broadcast from Washington will begin at 23:00 GMT on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service. On the morning of 4 November, BBC Breakfast will provide a review of the results and analysis of what they mean for the final two years of Donald Trump's time in power. Throughout the week, the Americast podcast will be published daily featuring leading analysts, including Justin Webb and Sarah Smith, to help audiences make sense of the key moments of the vote.
Vote-counting methodology
It is important to note that the BBC uses data from two partners — the news agency AP and the television channel CBS — to build its forecasts. When the partners analyse the incoming data and are confident in an unbeatable lead for one of the candidates, they declare a projection. This is not an official result, which is confirmed by the states only after certification, often days or weeks later; however, such projections have historically proved correct in the overwhelming majority of cases.
