As U.S. voters prepare to choose every member of the House and roughly a third of the Senate on Nov. 3, differences among state and local voting procedures make election-office guidance important.
These midterm elections fall halfway between presidential elections. The ballot includes all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and about one-third of the Senate. The presidency is not contested in 2026; results can determine which party controls each chamber for the next two years.
Federal law places congressional elections in even-numbered years on the Tuesday following November's first Monday. Georgia's Secretary of State and Ohio's Secretary of State list Nov. 3 as their 2026 general election date.
Practical instructions are set closer to home. USAGov directs voters to contact a state or local election office to confirm a polling place and its hours. Election officials generally assign sites using a voter's home address, and that assignment may differ from one election to another.
There are exceptions to assigned-place voting. In California counties following the Voter's Choice Act model, voters may use any vote center in the county. Clark County, Nevada, likewise says voters may cast ballots at any of the county's Election Day vote centers.
Schedules vary as well: Georgia lists polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on Nov. 3, while Ohio lists hours of 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET. Georgia says anyone already in line by 7 p.m. ET may still cast a ballot.
Identification rules differ by state. USAGov says most states require voters to show identification when voting in person. Georgia allows voters to use an expired Georgia driver's license; Ohio requires a valid, unexpired photo ID. A federal requirement also applies to some first-time voters who did not register in person and did not show identification when they registered. USAGov lists photo IDs and government records showing a voter's name and address among possible documents, with state rules still in force. With the general election scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters can confirm their location, hours and acceptable documents through their state or local office.
