By — Ali Swenson, Associated Press Ali Swenson, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/election-day-underway-after-a-surge-in-early-voting-as-trump-sows-on-results Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Election Day underway after a surge in early voting, as Trump sows doubt on results Politics Nov 3, 2026 9:48 AM EST WASHINGTON (AP) — The final day of voting in this year's midterm elections arrived Tuesday against a backdrop of uncertainty after a year in which President Donald Trump has tried to interfere in how states run their elections and sown doubts about the outcome should Republicans lose. Millions of Americans already have cast their ballots, with early voting turnout on pace to eclipse that of the last midterm elections. In contrast to the president's continued rhetoric about election cheating, voting so far has unfolded with relatively few problems. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Trump has spent months trying…
Election Day underway after a surge in early voting, as Trump sows doubt on results
In short
Polling locations opened with few complications nationwide, though isolated incidents like a voting machine malfunction in New York required ballots to be placed in emergency storage. In the lead-up to the election, the courts largely curtailed efforts by the Trump administration to influence the process, including rejecting a petition to isolate California ballots. Additionally, the administration maintained that armed federal agents would not be stationed at voting precincts despite Justice Department monitoring efforts.
Key points
- National voter turnout is currently on course to exceed the participation levels recorded…: National voter turnout is currently on course to exceed the participation levels recorded during the previous midterm elections.
- Federal courts consistently rejected attempts by the executive branch to use federal auth…: Federal courts consistently rejected attempts by the executive branch to use federal authority to alter state balloting procedures.
- Administration officials affirmed that no armed federal agents would be deployed to overs…: Administration officials affirmed that no armed federal agents would be deployed to oversee or guard local polling locations.