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Election Day 2026: Photos from around the country

Election Day 2026: Photos from around the country

Against a backdrop of deep political division and with the control of Congress at stake, voters across the country are heading to the polls today to cast their ballots for the 2026 midterm elections. From lines at polling stations to the anticipation and reactions as the results come in, NPR station photographers are documenting the election in their communities.

Voters fill out their ballots in the midterm elections at McKinley Park Library at 1915 W. 35th St. in McKinley Park, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.

Voters fill out their ballots at Chicago's McKinley Park Library. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times and WBEZ hide caption

X, a poll worker in Fairfax, Va. tapes a "Vote" sign to the wall in the early morning hours at a polling station in the Fairfax County Government Center.

An election official tapes "VOTE" signs to a wall to direct voters to the polling room in the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax, Va. Tyrone Turner/WAMU hide caption

Voters take to the polls during Election Day at Wild Carrot on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in St. Louis’ Shaw neighborhood.

Voters take to the polls at Wild Carrot, an event space in St. Louis' Shaw neighborhood. Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public Radio hide caption

Tyler Prehn, 5 (right), inserts his father's ballot into the tabulating machine at Lutie Lewis Coates Elementary School in Herndon, Va. His brother, Levi Prehn, 3, looks on.

Tyler Prehn, 5 (right), inserts his father's ballot into the tabulating machine at Lutie Lewis Coates Elementary School in Herndon, Va. His brother, Levi Prehn, 3, looks on. Tyrone Turner/WAMU hide caption

Diane Mitchell of the Kaaswagen food truck was near Des Moines, Iowa's Roosevelt High School Tuesday, Nov. 3, handing out Dutch Deli sandwiches and cookies. Mitchell said she was contacted about 10 days before Election Day to serve free food for voters and community members as part of a nonpartisan "Party at the Polls" initiative.

Diane Mitchell hands out Dutch Deli sandwiches and cookies from a food truck in Des Moines, Iowa. Madeleine Charis King/Iowa Public Radio hide caption

Peg Ihinger takes a photo as she leaves her early voting sticker at the memorial for Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. “I just want this nightmare to end for our city and our country,” Ihinger said. “And damn it, they shouldn’t have died.”

Peg Ihinger takes a photo as she leaves her early voting sticker at the memorial for Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. "I just want this nightmare to end for our city and our country," Ihinger said. "And damn it, they shouldn't have died." Pretti and Renée Good, both 37 and residents of Minneapolis, were killed in separate incidents by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during the Trump administration's Operation Metro Surge in January. Ben Hovland/MPR News hide caption

Voters drop off ballots outside of the City Hall Voting Center in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2026.

Voters drop off ballots outside the City Hall Voting Center in San Francisco. Beth LaBerge/KQED hide caption

People outside of Hartford City Hall on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, In Hartford, Conn. City Hall is a polling place.

A large "VOTE" sign hangs from a balcony outside of Hartford City Hall in Hartford, Conn. Raquel C. Zaldívar/New England News Collaborative hide caption

A voter collects their sticker after casting their ballot at Manchester High School in Manchester, Connecticut.

A voter collects their "I Voted" sticker after casting their ballot at Manchester High School in Manchester, Conn. Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public hide caption

Voters cast their ballots at electronic voting stations at a polling station in Hastings City Hall in Hastings, Minn.

Voters cast their ballots at electronic voting stations at a polling station in Hastings City Hall in Hastings, Minn. Kerem Yücel/MPR News hide caption

"NATL GUARD 50 FT BACK" is marked on a Columbia Heights sidewalk in Washington, D.C..

"NATL GUARD 50 FT BACK" is marked on a sidewalk in Washington, D.C.'s Columbia Heights neighborhood. Ben Ackman/WAMU hide caption

Voters wait in line to cast their ballots at University Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas.

Voters wait in line to cast their ballots at University Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. Patricia Lim/KUT News hide caption

A "vote here" sign at the entrance of the voting station at the Lyon Upper School in Allston.

A "VOTE HERE" sign is posted at the entrance of the voting station at the Lyon Upper School in Boston's Allston neighborhood. Robin Lubbock/WBUR hide caption


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