An Election With No President on the Ballot
A midterm is the general election held in the even-numbered years between presidential elections. The presidency is not at stake, and neither is most of the Senate, but the entire House of Representatives is, along with most governorships and the bulk of state and local government. That mix is what gives the midterm its distinct character.
Sources & Further Reading
- National Archives, Constitution Annotated: Article I (House and Senate terms)
- National Archives, Constitution Annotated: Twentieth Amendment
- U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Historian: Party Divisions
- U.S. Senate: Class I, II, and III Senators (staggered terms)
- U.S. Senate: Elections and Vacancies Reference
- The American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara: Seats Gained or Lost by the President's Party in Midterm Elections
- Brookings Institution: Vital Statistics on Congress
- Pew Research Center: U.S. Politics and Elections research
- United States Elections Project: Voter Turnout Data
- U.S. Census Bureau: Voting and Registration
- National Conference of State Legislatures: StateVote Election Resources
- National Governors Association: Governors
- U.S. Election Assistance Commission: Election Administration and Voting
- Ballotpedia: Elections calendar and offices on the ballot
- vote.gov: Register to vote and confirm your registration
- National Association of Secretaries of State: Can I Vote
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: midterm election
This page draws on the U.S. Constitution and the Constitution Annotated guide published by the Library of Congress and Congress.gov, the historical offices of the U.S. House and Senate, turnout data from the United States Elections Project and the U.S. Census Bureau, midterm seat-change tallies from the American Presidency Project and the Brookings Institution, and election-administration and calendar material from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Governors Association, and Ballotpedia. Turnout percentages, seat totals, and state rules are current as of 2026 and should be checked against the cited authority before being relied on for a specific race or deadline.