Election Day 2026: What to know in DC, Maryland and Virginia
Early voting begins in DC ahead of midterm elections
Early voting began Monday in the District of Columbia ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, opening dozens of polling sites for voters set to choose a new mayor and congressional delegate in the District.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Voters in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia will cast ballots Tuesday in midterm elections that will help decide control of Congress, along with D.C.'s first new mayor in more than a decade and Maryland's race for governor.
TOPSHOT - People vote at a polling station in Lancaster, New Hampshire, on Election Day, November 5, 2024. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
Washington, D.C.
How to vote: Voters can cast ballots at any voting center in the District from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, regardless of where they live. Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and arrive within 10 days, and drop-box ballots are due by 8 p.m. Election Day.
On the ballot: Three candidates are running to succeed Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is not seeking a fourth term: Democrat Janeese Lewis George, independent Rhonda Hamilton and DC Statehood Green Party candidate Robert L. Gross. Two at-large D.C. Council seats and a ballot measure about foie gras are also on the ballot.
Ranked-choice voting will be used in races with three or more candidates, and noncitizen residents may vote in local races but not federal ones.
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Maryland
How to vote: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, and in-person registration is available on Election Day. Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Nov. 3 and received by 10 a.m. on the second Friday after Election Day. Ballots can also go in an official drop box or to a local board of elections by 8 p.m. Nov. 3.
On the ballot: Democratic Gov. Wes Moore is seeking a second term against Republican Dan Cox and Green Party candidate Andy Ellis, and all eight of Maryland's U.S. House seats are on the ballot.
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Virginia
How to vote: Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, and anyone in line by 7 p.m. can vote. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by Friday, Nov. 6. Eligible residents who missed the registration deadline can still register and vote by provisional ballot through Election Day.
On the ballot: Democratic Sen. Mark Warner is seeking another term against Republican Bert Mizusawa. Every Virginia ballot also includes U.S. House races and three proposed amendments to the state constitution.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from the D.C. Board of Elections, the Maryland State Board of Elections, and Virginia Department of Elections.