US midterm elections 2026 live updates: polls begin to close as voters decide direction of Congress for remainder of Trump’s term

Polls began closing in Indiana and Kentucky, with several key states reporting record turnout as Americans voted in crucial midterm elections for the remainder of President Trump's term. As voting results trickled in, early House and Senate races could offer clues about which party might dominate the outcome – whether Democrats could achieve the landslide they anticipate, or if Republicans would defy polling and maintain control of Congress.

North Carolina, where polls were expected to close at 7:30pm ET, emerged as one of the biggest battlegrounds. In Austin, Texas, the capital, a steady stream of voters flocked to the Austin Recreation Center, a polling site that had become a hotbed of intense political activity.

Voters like Maya Murshed, a 19-year-old university student, expressed enthusiasm about participating in their first election. "It felt good to be able to voice what I want," she said. Meanwhile, independent voter Zach Garvey, 33, backed Democrats on the ballot, citing values centered on individual liberty and economic freedom. Garvey expressed disappointment with the current Texas Republican Party's focus on large corporate profits over small businesses and religious influence in public institutions.

Elderly voters, such as 76-year-old Heidi Gibbons, a retired nonprofit development director, shared their perspectives on the election. Gibbons, a Travis County Democratic precinct chair, recalled her past activism and criticized then-Governor Ken Paxton for breaking the Ten Commandments. She also mentioned her concerns about James Talarico's interpretation of the Bible and his potential to misrepresent religious teachings.

In Ohio, voters streamed out of Burbank Early Childhood School, a polling site in Columbus, carrying their "Ohio Voted" stickers. First-time voter John Smith, who cast his ballot with little political knowledge, expressed excitement about participating in the democratic process. Ohio's competitive Senate race between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Jon Husted served as a test of whether the state would continue its rightward shift after consistently supporting Republican candidates in recent presidential elections.

Ohio's gubernatorial race between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton also held significant implications for the state's political future. Voters like Sunny Servoni, a self-described "Reagan Republican," supported Ramaswamy due to his tax plan that would benefit those with fixed incomes. On the other hand, Jim Conrad, an independent voter, expressed dissatisfaction with both major parties, emphasizing the growing income gap and the party's perceived lack of compassion for marginalized communities.