Midterm elections 2026: how are votes counted and when will we know the results?

Everything you need to know about how winners are called, how states count ballots and Trump’s election denialism

There’s no simple answer as to when US voters will know the results of the midterms.

Elections are managed locally throughout the US, and it’s different in each state. Sometimes, if a race isn’t close, there’s a near-instantaneous sense of who won. In more contested races, it can take many hours, days or even weeks.