Live updates: 2026 midterm election results and what they mean for education
Tuesday is Election Day, and education is on the ballot.
In North Carolina, polls are open until 7:30 p.m., except for in four counties, where the N.C. State Board of Elections approved a 45-minute voting extension at the Tabor City Courthouse in Columbus County, as well as shorter extensions in Lenoir, Wilson, and Hertford counties, due to technical glitches in the morning. EdNC will be covering the results as they come in on Tuesday night and for the rest of the week, until all statewide races are called.
See EdNC’s 2026 voter guide if you have yet to cast your ballot.
Explore more of EdNC’s election coverage
During 17 days of early voting, more than 2.8 million North Carolinians cast their ballot, according to data from the North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation. Nearly 36% of registered voters turned out for early voting, compared with 29% at the same point in the 2022 midterm. Below is a look at the party affiliation of early voters in North Carolina.
Across the country, pundits are widely discussing the possibility of a “blue wave,” in which Democrats win control of Congress. Both chambers currently have slim Republican majorities. Some of the more contested races could take up to a few weeks to call.
The Senate race in North Carolina, between frontrunners Republican Michael Whatley and former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, is being watched nationally as a potential indicator of a good election for Democrats. Recent polling shows Cooper with a substantial lead over Whatley.
Within North Carolina, election results could also break the supermajority Republicans currently hold in the N.C. Senate and the near-supermajority they hold in the N.C. House. The General Assembly is scheduled to meet twice after Election Day — between Nov. 16-19 and between Nov. 30-Dec. 18 — before the new year, when a new legislature is sworn in.
Notably, North Carolina voters will also decide whether to cap the state income tax rate at 3.5% and whether to require a limit on local property tax increases through ballot measures that, if passed with a simple majority, would amend the North Carolina state constitution. EdNC has reported that the amendments, if passed, could have a substantial effect on public school funding; educators and advocates have criticized the amendments, saying they threaten school budgets.
Across the state, many voters will also vote on local board of education races and on school bonds, which are on ballots in several North Carolina counties.
Below, read more about this election’s key races and issues with implications for education. As results come in, this article will be updated.
General Assembly
There are 50 N.C. Senate races and 120 N.C. House races on the ballot this year, though many races are uncontested. You can view results for your district by navigating to district results on the website of the N.C. State Board of Elections, which will come in gradually after polls close tonight.
The General Assembly writes the laws that govern education in our state. Currently, there is a Republican majority in the House and a veto-proof Republican supermajority in the Senate. Republicans have held the General Assembly since 2011.
There are several seats in the General Assembly that political analysts believe Democrats have the chance to flip — potentially disrupting the long-held Republican majorities in both legislative chambers and the party’s proximity to veto-override power.
Since 2024, the legislature has overridden more than a dozen of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes, including several connected to education. One law transferred administrative power over charter schools away from the Department of Public Instruction (Senate Bill 254); another eliminated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in public schools (Senate Bill 227).
Stay tuned for an initial analysis of the power balance in the General Assembly.
Tax amendments
There are three referenda on the statewide ballot this year, which, if passed with a simple majority, would amend the state constitution. All three amendments previously met the three-fifths vote requirement in both chambers of the General Assembly with almost entirely Republican support.
One amendment would require voters to provide photo identification before voting by mail, another would cap the state personal income tax rate at 3.5%, and the third would require the General Assembly to impose a limit on property tax increases by local governments.
EdNC has previously reported on the impact the latter two amendments could have on education in North Carolina. Large portions of both state and local budget appropriations — funded primarily by taxes — go toward education. Educators, school administrators, and advocacy groups have warned that property tax limits could strain school district budgets.
Additionally, some have criticized the wording of the language on the ballot as vague.
“I think if people had more information, they might think differently,” Victoria Creamer, principal of Creekside Elementary School in Durham, previously told EdNC.
More on the NC constitutional amendments
U.S. Senate
The race between frontrunners Whatley and Cooper will be key in deciding the power balance of the U.S. Senate for at least the next two years. Cooper, a Democrat, is hoping to flip the red seat of outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis who chose not to run for reelection after a public break with President Donald Trump.
Recent polling indicates Cooper holds a substantial lead over Whatley, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee. A Republican super PAC pulled millions in advertising spending from Whatley’s campaign last month, signaling low confidence that he could beat Cooper. Around that time, a Carolina Journal poll put Cooper ahead of Whatley by 15 points — a margin that has since narrowed to 10 points.
Nationally, many Senate races are contentious, opening the door to the possibility that Democrats retake the majority in the country’s upper chamber. Races to watch include those in Maine, Ohio, Iowa, Texas, Kansas, Alaska, Michigan, and more.
U.S. House
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election, including North Carolina’s 14 seats. You can view initial results for your district and the state by navigating to federal results on the N.C. State Board of Elections website, which will start to come in after polls close.
There has been a Republican majority in the House since the 2022 election, but control could shift to Democrats with a net gain of just four or five seats. Many Democrats are hopeful that their party will be able to win a majority of seats in the House, but polling data indicates that flipping the House is not guaranteed.
Recent politically motivated redistricting in several states, including North Carolina, could impact election results. A map created by the Guardian shows that North Carolina is predicted to gain one Republican seat in the House as a result of the redistricting of N.C. District 1, which is currently held by Democratic Rep. Don Davis.
The race between Davis and his opponent, Republican Laurie Buckhout, has become the most expensive congressional race in U.S. history, totaling roughly $52.9 million in ad spending between both parties. The two candidates previously ran for the seat in 2024. Before the district boundary was redrawn to favor a Republican, Davis won by 6,307 votes. Recent polling data considers the 2026 race a toss up.
N.C. State Supreme Court
This year, just one seat is up for election on the N.C. State Supreme Court. Current N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice Anita Earls, a Democrat, opposes former N.C. Rep. Sarah Stevens, a Republican who was the chair of the House Judiciary Committee. You can track the results of their race by navigating to judicial results on the website of the N.C. State Board of Elections.
The court currently has a 5-2 Republican majority. Three Republican justices’ terms expire in 2028, and one — Justice Phil Berger Jr. — has announced that he will not seek reelection.
According to the State Court Report, “If Justice Anita Earls this year wins another term on the court, the next election will give Democrats an easier path to winning a majority when the terms of three sitting Republican justices expire.”
N.C. Court of Appeals
There are three judicial seats up for election on the N.C. Court of Appeals. You can view results by navigating to federal results on the website of the N.C. State Board of Elections, which will come in throughout tonight.
Currently 12 of the 15 seats on the N.C. Court of Appeals are held by Republican judges. The three seats held by Democratic judges are up for election this year.
School and community college bonds
In a few counties in North Carolina, voters will decide on school bonds, which, if approved, allow a county to borrow money to invest in schools — typically projects such as the new construction or renovation of school buildings.
As EdNC has previously reported, school bonds can be a solution to the high cost of school building maintenance and construction.
Here are the North Carolina counties with school bond referenda on the ballot this year:
- Brunswick County (Brunswick County Schools)
- Cabarrus County (Cabarrus County Schools, Kannapolis City Schools)
- New Hanover County (New Hanover County Schools)
- Person County (Person County Schools)
- Wake County (Wake County Public School System)
And the following counties are voting on a potential 0.25% sales tax increase (as permitted under state law), with an explicit plan to send the proceeds to schools:
- Columbus County (Columbus County Schools, Whiteville City Schools)
- Guilford County (Guilford County Schools)
- Sampson County (Sampson County Schools, Clinton City Schools)
A handful of counties are also voting on bonds to fund local community colleges:
- Cabarrus County (Rowan-Cabarrus Community College)
- Wake County (Wake Technical Community College)
Guilford County’s potential sales tax increase would also partially fund Guilford Technical Community College.
Stay tuned to see which school bonds are approved by voters. You can view all county referenda on the ballot here.