US Midterm Elections 2026 Exit Polls: What do voters think, and when will results come in Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and other states?

Americans voted on Tuesday in midterm elections that will decide whether President Donald Trump keeps a Republican-controlled Congress for the last two years of his term or faces a Democratic majority. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 Senate seats, and 36 governorships are up for election. Most opinion polls suggest the results could be strongly unfavourable for the Republican Party.

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Exit polls 2026 midterm elections US

According to the Associated Press, the first exit poll findings for the 2026 midterms are due at 5 pm Eastern time on Tuesday. Those early numbers describe who voted and why. They are not vote counts, and they will not tell you who has won.


What changed this year is that there is effectively one exit poll. The surveys you will see quoted on AP, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, NBC News and MS NOW all come from the same source: The Voter Poll, run by the research firm SSRS.

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Exit polls reveal widespread voter dissatisfaction

According to CBS News, voters appear increasingly unhappy with what's happening in America. Current exit polls suggest that around three-quarters of Americans are dissatisfied with how things are going. Anger has also grown compared with 2024, as concerns over the economy continue to weigh on voters. Those supporting Democratic candidates are particularly likely to express anger.

The economy and voters' confidence in Donald Trump to improve it played a major role in his 2024 election victory. However, many Americans do not feel that the economic situation has improved since then.In fact, more voters now have a negative view of the economy than they did two years ago.

Voters split with Trump on many key issues

President Donald Trump has focused heavily on tariffs and immigration enforcement. However, many voters do not support these policies, according to the preliminary national results of CNN’s Voter Poll.

Voters also have mixed views on Trump's approach to the Iran war and his support for data centres and artificial intelligence (AI).

Around two-thirds of voters said Trump's tariff policies have hurt their local economies. Only about one in seven said the tariffs had helped, while the remaining voters said they had made no difference.

A majority of voters also felt that the Trump administration had gone too far with its immigration enforcement actions.

On immigration, about six in 10 voters said immigrants coming to the US do more to help the country than harm it. The rest said they do more to hurt the country.

Around six in 10 voters said the decision to take military action against Iran was wrong. About half also said the US is providing too much support to Israel. This marks a sharp change from 2024, when only 31% held that view.

Voters were also largely against building new data centres in their communities, with about three-quarters saying they would oppose such projects. More than half believed artificial intelligence would do more harm than good to society. Only about a quarter said AI would have a positive impact, while roughly one in five felt it would make no difference.

How exit poll is done

Despite their name, most of these interviews are not conducted outside polling stations. According to the AP:

- Most voters are interviewed before Election Day. They are contacted through mailed invitations, phone calls, text messages and online opinion panels. Fieldwork began on October 22, or October 19 in Alaska. The AP estimated that around 75,000 interviews had been completed by October 28, while pre-election polling was still underway. On Election Day, CNN put the number at nearly 80,000.

- Additional voters are interviewed in person on Election Day. CNN estimates that around 22,000 people are interviewed at polling places, compared with the AP's earlier estimate of approximately 25,000. CNN puts the overall number of respondents at roughly 100,000. In-person interviews are conducted in 15 states: Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.

- The survey covers all 50 states. State-level results are released for states holding Senate or gubernatorial races. Interviews in Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah and Washington are used only for the national picture.

- Both sets of interviews are combined and weighted. This helps ensure the results reflect the estimated electorate in each state.

When will exit poll data come out?

The polling will close between 7pm ET Tuesday and 1am ET on Wednesday, and it varies from state to state. The states where the polls will close at the very end are Hawaii, at 12:00am ET on Wednesday and Alaska, at 1am ET on Wednesday. The data from the exit poll surveys will be broadcast in phases as polling nears closure.

Most US broadcasters have said that they will start airing the early results of the exit poll surveys starting 5pm ET, an hours before the first poll closures in the eastern parts of Indiana and Kentucky at 6pm ET. The results of the national survey is expected to be out by 5pm ET, while state-wise results will come as and when polls close, according to Hindustan Times.

What to know about state-wise exit polls

Polls will close at 7pm ET in the remaining parts of Indiana and Kentucky, as well as Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. Exit poll data from these states is expected to become available from 7pm ET onwards.

In North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia, polling stations will close at 7:30pm ET, with state-wise exit poll data expected shortly afterward.

Polls will close at 8pm ET in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Arkansas will close its polling stations at 8:30pm ET, after which exit poll data from the state is expected.

In Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, parts of Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming, polls will close at 9pm ET. Polling in the remaining parts of Texas will end at 8pm ET.

Polls will also close at 9pm ET in Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota and Utah.

In California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, polling stations will close at 11pm ET. Hawaii will be the next to close at 12am ET on Wednesday, followed by Alaska at 1am ET on Wednesday.