Two Senate races and several House contests remain uncalled in 2026 midterms

Alaska’s ranked choice Senate count may proceed to another round this month

Vote counting in the 2026 midterm elections is still underway, with two Senate races and several House contests yet to be called, according to NPR. The organization reported that Democrats are poised to have a strong majority in the upcoming Congress, even as the final numbers are still being determined.

NPR characterized the lingering tallies as routine. “In many places in the country, it takes a while to count votes,” NPR reported. “That’s normal and expected.”

In the House, several races are still waiting to be called by The Associated Press, according to NPR. Some are too close to call; in others, not enough ballots have been counted to know which candidate will prevail.

A few of the outstanding California races match two candidates from the same party. In those contests, NPR reported, “it’s clear which party will hold the seat, even if it’s not clear who will win.”

In the Senate, two races remain outstanding: Alaska and Mississippi.

Alaska uses ranked choice voting, and no candidate in the state’s four-person Senate race has achieved a 50% majority in the count, according to NPR. The contest may proceed to another round of counting later this month.

Mississippi uses a more traditional electoral system, but a large number of provisional ballots — called affidavit ballots in the state — are taking time to count, NPR reported. Fewer than 2,000 votes separate the top two candidates in that race.

Together, the outstanding contests will determine the final party margins in the Senate and the House in the upcoming Congress.