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2026 Midterm Election Day is here: What to know in NY and NJ
By
Brigid Bergin
and
Mike Hayes
Published Nov 3, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. ET
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Yuki IWAMURA / AFP via Getty Images
By
Brigid Bergin
and
Mike Hayes
Published Nov 3, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. ET
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Polls are open across the country today as voters cast their ballots in elections that will decide the balance of power in Congress, along with several high-profile races for governor and other races down-ballot. The midterm election is often considered a referendum on the party in control of the White House. But with spiking costs at the grocery store and gas station, the cost of living has consistently ranked among the top concerns of voters.
Here’s what you need to know about when, where and how to vote this Election Day, plus what’s on your ballot.
Polls open at 6 a.m. in New York and New Jersey on Tuesday.
Find out where your Election Day poll site in New York is here. Polls close at 9 p.m.
Find out where your Election Day poll site in New Jersey is here. Polls close at 8 p.m.
What if I have a mail ballot?
In New York, you can complete your mail ballot and drop it off at your county Board of Elections office or any poll site open on Tuesday. Your mail ballot will count if the Board of Elections receives it by Election Day, or it arrives within a week of Election Day but has a postmark of Election Day. The United States Postal Service does not always apply a postmark the day an item is received, so it may be too late to put a ballot into the postal mail to ensure timely delivery.
In New Jersey, you can drop off mail-in ballots at a secure drop box or your county Board of Elections office. You can find a drop box location in your county here. For those returning ballots via mail, ballots must be postmarked no later than Election Day at 8 p.m. and received no later than six days after the election. Note: Polling sites DO NOT accept vote-by-mail ballots.
What is on the ballot in New York?
New York voters will choose their governor, state attorney general, state comptroller, along with federal and state legislative representatives.
Read more about the candidates in our New York voter guide.
What about New York City specifically?
In New York City, voters will also be asked to decide five ballot questions. A guide to the ballot questions is here.
Who is on the ballot in New Jersey?
Congressional races are dominating this year’s election cycle in New Jersey. You can find our early voting guide here.
First-time Democratic nominee Rebecca Bennett is attempting to unseat Republican Rep. Tom Kean in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District in what’s expected to be New Jersey’s most competitive midterm race.
Unlike some other rising Democrats in the state, like progressive Rep. Analilia Mejia and Dr. Adam Hamawy, Bennett has run as a middle-of-the-road Democrat in a typically conservative district that has leaned Republican since 2020. The 39-year old former healthcare executive and Navy helicopter pilot has focused on affordability issues like rising costs for gas, grocery, childcare and healthcare. Read more about her attempt to court independent and Republican voters in the red-leaning district in North Jersey.
Kean, the political heir of one of the Garden State’s most well-known political dynasties, is seeking a third term in Congress. The 58-year old Republican is the son of a popular former governor and served in the state Legislature for nearly two decades. He is running in the shadow of President Donald Trump’s sinking poll numbers in the state and has faced lingering questions about a 100+ day absence from Congress earlier this year when Kean was hospitalized for serious depression.
Who else is running in New Jersey?
In the closing days of the midterm season, the race in South Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District has emerged as a surprisingly close contest between four-term incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew and Democratic challenger Zack Mullock, a small-town Jersey Shore mayor from Cape May. Early voting showed Democrats building a large lead in the vote heading into election day.
Democratic congressional candidates Rep. Analilia Mejia, first-time candidate Dr. Adam Hamawy, and Rep. Nellie Pou are all expected to be victorious Tuesday in districts around the state, according to political analysts like Cook Political Report and Decision Desk HQ. Republican Rep. Chris Smith is also favored to win a 24th term in New Jersey’s ruby red 4th district.
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker is also heavily favored to win a fourth consecutive term amidst rumors he’s teeing up a run for president in 2028.
Are federal law enforcement or immigration agents allowed at poll sites?
No. Federal law enforcement officials are not legally allowed at poll sites. Every New York City poll site does have NYPD officers assigned to it under state law.
If a voter has a problem in New York or New Jersey, the person can call 1-866-OUR-VOTE to speak with a volunteer with the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline.
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Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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Mike Hayes
Mike Hayes covers equity and access to opportunity in New Jersey. He joined WNYC and Gothamist in 2023. Before that, he worked as a freelance journalist writing about policing and criminal justice. He has written for ProPublica, CNN, HuffPost, BuzzFeed News and The Appeal. He is also the author of the book, “The Secret Files: Bill De Blasio, The NYPD, and the Broken Promises of Police Reform.” In 2019, he was a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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