The 2026 election season is underway: Here’s your monthly guide with important dates, voter resources
Welcome to your ultimate guide to the 2026 election season! This thread tracks some of the biggest primary and runoff elections leading up to the midterms in November. We’re posting monthly updates featuring reporting from the USA TODAY Network, including explainers and resources you may need as a voter. (For more frequent updates, sign up for our politics newsletter.)
Summer is here and so is a brief break from the busy primary season, as July will hold elections only in three states. But before we take our summer breaks, check out this exclusive: documents our reporters obtained show that state election officials don’t expect federal agencies to provide security support needed for the midterms.
⏪ Here’s a look back at what happened in June:
- Four months before midterms, a new poll shows voter support for Democrats is over 10 percentage points higher than for GOP congressional candidates. While a House majority is within Democrats’ reach, the Senate remains a tougher climb, requiring them to flip four Republicans seats. Alaska, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina and Texas are their best hopes.
- The Supreme Court ditched one of the remaining checks on money in politics. That may benefit the GOP, at least in the short run.
- California’s primary is over, with Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton advancing to a head-to-head governor’s race in November. And LA mayoral race will hold a runoff in fall between the incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and Democratic socialist council member Nithya Raman.
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani expanded his influence by sweeping all three Democratic congressional primaries where he had made endorsements. On the other side, Donald Trump wields overwhelming influence over GOP nominees, which could be costly to his party, experts say.
- Maine Democrat Graham Platner won the Senate primary despite questions about his character and will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a key race for control of the Senate.
- In Georgia, Republican Rep. Mike Collins won a closely watched Senate primary runoff, setting up a high-stakes November matchup against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
- Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George is poised to become Washingon, D.C.'s new mayor. Her campaign emphasizes universal childcare, social housing and stronger labor unions.
- A federal judge blocked Trump from creating a voter database of Social Security numbers and citizenship status over privacy and accuracy fears.
👀 Now, here are the primaries to watch in July:
- July 21: Arizona
- July 28: Georgia (special election), South Dakota (runoff)
🗳️ Looking for voter resources? We pulled those together for you, too:
- Register to vote in your state
- Update your voter registration
- Find voter registration deadlines in your state
- See what form(s) of ID you need to vote
- See what’s on your ballot
- How to vote absentee or by mail
- Request an absentee ballot
- Report intimidation at your polling place 🆕
- Find your polling place
- Track your ballot
💬 You also had some great questions last month! Check out our reporters' answers here. If you’re interested in redistricting and the SAVE Act, take a swing through our r/politics AMA here.
What other questions do you have for our team as we get closer to November? Is there a race you’re watching closely? Is there something we’re missing? Jump in the comments or shoot us a DM and let us know.