What is Congress?

The U.S. Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government. It is composed of two chambers, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Congressional elections determine who represents your state in the federal government and which political party will hold a majority in each chamber for the next two years.

Learn more about Congress and how it makes laws.

How congressional elections work

Congressional elections happen every two years. At that time, one-third of the Senate and every seat in the House of Representatives is up for election.

Midterm congressional elections take place halfway between presidential elections. The most recent congressional elections were in November 2022. The next midterm elections will be in November 2026.

U.S. House of Representatives

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives serve two-year terms. All 435 House seats are up for election every midterm and presidential election year. 

A representative must be at least 25, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and live in the state he or she represents. The number of representatives a state has depends on its population. Each representative serves a specific congressional district. Find your representative.

U.S. Senate

Senators serve six-year terms. So they will not all be up for election at the same time, their terms are staggered. Every two years, during each midterm and presidential election year, a different third of the Senate is elected. 

A senator must be at least 30, a U.S. citizen for at least nine years, and live in the state he or she represents. There are 100 U.S. senators, two from each state. Find your senators.

Find out when to vote for Congress and get election results

• Find your state to learn when to vote in person or absentee for your members of Congress.
• Get past results for congressional elections.