Early Voting Begins in 2026 Midterms; California Ballots Start Mailing October 5

The 2026 general election has entered its voting phase

HENRICO, Va. — Voting in the 2026 midterm elections began Friday, September 18, as Virginia opened broad in-person early voting and several other states began allowing eligible voters to cast absentee ballots in person.

The Associated Press identified Virginia, Idaho, Minnesota and South Dakota among the first states where voters could begin casting ballots. The November 3 election will determine control of the U.S. House and Senate and includes state and local contests across the country.

This is the opening of a state-by-state process—not the start of identical nationwide voting hours. Eligibility, locations, identification rules and ballot-return deadlines vary by state and sometimes by county.

Virginia is the clearest in-person starting point

Virginia began its full in-person early-voting period Friday. State records show more than 6.45 million registered voters as of September 1, underscoring the scale of the first major early-voting launch.

In Idaho, Minnesota and South Dakota, voters can use absentee procedures that include an in-person option, according to the Associated Press. More expansive early-voting schedules in those and other states begin later.

Minnesota election officials distinguish the 46-day absentee period from the shorter period when voters can feed completed ballots directly into tabulators. That difference is one reason voters should rely on their own state or county election office instead of assuming every reference to ‘early voting’ describes the same process.

California and Kern County voters are on a later calendar

Friday's opening does not mean California vote-by-mail ballots are already in the mail. The California Secretary of State says county election offices will begin mailing ballots by October 5 and secure drop-off locations will open October 6.

The state's online voter-registration deadline for the November 3 election is October 19. Eligible residents who miss it may use California's conditional voter-registration process through Election Day, subject to verification by election officials.

Kern County voters should confirm their registration and local voting information through the county elections office. A social-media post, campaign message or national headline should not be treated as a substitute for an official local schedule.

What the midterms decide

Every U.S. House seat is on the ballot, along with the Senate seats scheduled for this election cycle. Republicans currently hold majorities in both chambers, so the results will decide whether the party retains unified congressional control during the final two years of President Donald Trump's term.

Statewide offices, legislatures, local offices and ballot measures also appear on ballots, depending on the jurisdiction. The first ballots therefore begin a national election, but voters are not all deciding the same set of contests.

Early results reported before polls close are not final outcomes. Election officials count and certify ballots under state law, and different processing rules can produce different reporting timelines without demonstrating fraud or error.

What is confirmed—and what is not

Confirmed: voting began September 18 in Virginia and through absentee procedures in several other states; Election Day is November 3; California counties begin mailing ballots by October 5; and the election will determine control of Congress.

Not confirmed: that voting has opened everywhere, that California ballots have already been mailed, that an early-vote total predicts the winner, or that unofficial Election Night numbers are certified results. None of those conclusions follows from Friday's launch.

What’s the Scoop With Broach will update this report if election officials announce a material schedule change, court order or public-safety issue affecting voters.

About the image

The accompanying photograph shows people waiting outside the New Orleans Arena during the final day of early voting in October 2020. Wikimedia Commons credits the image to Infrogmation of New Orleans and publishes it under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license.

It is an authentic historical photograph illustrating early voting. It does not depict a 2026 polling place, Virginia voters, California voters, an election official quoted in this report or evidence about the current election's administration.