Midterm vote arrives after Supreme Court blocks federal bid to void California ballots

The final day of voting in the 2026 midterm elections arrives Tuesday, marked by a surge in early ballots and a series of legal skirmishes that have tested the limits of federal power over state-run contests.

Millions of Americans have already cast their votes, with early voting turnout on pace to exceed the totals from the previous midterm election. Despite President Donald Trump’s sustained rhetoric regarding election integrity, the voting process has proceeded with relatively few operational issues so far.

The path to Election Day has been defined by the administration’s aggressive use of federal resources. The Justice and Homeland Security departments have pursued a campaign to identify voters they claim are not U.S. citizens. This effort included a pre-dawn operation in California that resulted in more than two dozen arrests. The Justice Department also prepared its largest-ever deployment of monitors for polling places, while the White House sued to block the certification of Alaska’s Senate race if Democrats won that seat.

Democratic groups and election officials prepared for potential disruptions, including immigration agents at voting sites or federal officers seizing equipment. The administration maintained that no armed federal officials would guard the polls. In the weeks leading up to Tuesday, the most feared scenarios largely failed to materialize, and courts blocked many of the administration’s legal maneuvers.

A major setback for the White House occurred Monday night when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected its effort to force California to discard thousands of ballots. The ruling denied the administration’s push to set aside votes as part of its search for noncitizen voters. This decision followed another Supreme Court loss earlier in the year, where the Court rejected Trump’s attempt to restrict mail balloting through changes at the Postal Service. That directive was part of two executive orders signed during his second term that sought to federalize specific election rules, a move election law experts said went beyond historic norms.

The administration’s record of arrests has reinforced what state investigations and research have long indicated: instances of noncitizens casting ballots are extremely rare. The legal battles have created a flurry of filings over federal intimidation, voter eligibility, and monitoring, with experts noting that these disputes could extend past Election Day into the counting and certification phases.

Weather adds a physical challenge for some voters. Heavy rains and flash flooding over the weekend in the Southwest are expected to hinder access to polling places in parts of Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Most locations remain unchanged, though officials may announce further modifications as they assess the conditions.

Election administrators and voting rights advocates are urging voters with late absentee ballots to use drop boxes or deliver them in person. This advice follows concerns that recent U.S. Postal Service changes could cause postmarking delays. Such delays disenfranchised tens of thousands of voters in California, Oregon, and Washington during this year’s primaries when mail ballots arrived late.

The first polling sites opened at 6 a.m. in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia. The election will determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress, a outcome Trump has sought to influence through both executive action and public statements. A week before the vote, when asked if he would accept the results, the president offered a conditional response: “I will if they are honest.”