Early voting begins in U.S. midterm elections that could flip control of Congress

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Unlock these with Subscription Published - September 18, 2026 11:18 am IST - Henrico The start of early voting comes at a time of deep angst among many Americans about issues including rising gas and grocery prices, the war in Iran, the looming risks of artificial intelligence technology and Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign. File | Photo Credit: Reuters In-person voting for this year's midterm elections begins on Friday (September 18, 2026), ushering in the final six weeks for Americans to decide who they trust to lead Congress through a cost-of-living crisis , a prolonged war in Iran, and other pressing issues. House and Senate maintain their Republican majorities. If Democrats retake Congress, it will alter the trajectory of the final two years of Mr. Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement campaign. Those partisan efforts are expected to continue ahead of the 2028 elections after a landmark ruling earlier this year from the Supreme Court weakened the federal Voting Rights Act's protections against racially discriminatory redistricting. Trump was focused on efforts to assert federal control over election administration, even as the Constitution bestows the power to run elections on the states and, in some cases, Congress. The Supreme Court rejected Mr.