How to watch live 2026 election results on CBS News

Control of Congress and the future of President Trump’s agenda are on the line in the 2026 midterm elections, as voters cast their ballots for all 435 House seats and 35 Senate races around the country. Candidates for governor are on the ballot in 39 states, along with some high-profile measures like California’s proposed billionaire tax.

CBS News will have extensive live coverage of results and analysis on all platforms after the polls close on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

How to watch election coverage with cable

CBS News’ “America Decides: Election 2026” live coverage on TV and cable starts Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. (Find your local CBS station here.)

Anchors Tony Dokoupil and Norah O’Donnell will be joined on the set by”CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King, “Face the Nation” moderator and chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan, and CBS News’ team of political reporters, including Robert Costa, Major Garrett, Nancy Cordes and Ed O’Keefe.

There will be live updates throughout the evening from CBS News executive director of elections and surveys Anthony Salvanto and reporting from correspondents in Washington and around the country, including Weijia Jiang at the White House, Nikole Killion, Adriana Diaz, Matt Gutman, Skyler Henry, Lana Zak, Kris Van Cleave, Taurean Small, Jan Crawford and Nicole Sganga. Contributors will also include political analysts from both sides of the aisle and experts on election law and security.

How to watch election coverage without cable

Live coverage is streaming on CBS News 24/7 throughout the day Tuesday and all evening long, with election results expected to start coming in Tuesday night. 

Watch on the free CBS News app on your connected TV or smartphone, on Paramount+, and all platforms where CBS News 24/7 is available, including CBSNews.com and YouTube.

Beginning at 5 p.m. ET, dive into the latest data on “Election 2026: The Nerd Show,” hosted by CBS News executive director of elections and surveys Anthony Salvanto and CBS News congressional correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns, joined by Democratic and Republican pollsters and other election data experts.

Prime-time coverage anchored by Tony Dokoupil and Norah O’Donnell begins streaming live on all platforms at 7 p.m. ET.

How to watch live streaming local election coverage from CBS Stations

CBS Stations are covering the election live across 15 owned markets. Local streaming channels plan sustained live coverage with a mix of local and network coverage. 

Election night live coverage plans include:

CBS News Atlanta is not streaming but local viewers can watch on WUPA Channel 69.

What time will election results come in?

Poll closing times vary from state to state, with the first batch of states closing at 7 p.m. ET, more at 7:30, and large numbers of states at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET. The polls in California and several other Western states don’t close until 11 p.m. ET, followed by Hawaii an hour later and finally Alaska — with a closely watched Senate race — at 1 a.m. ET. 

Results in some races will take longer to come in than others, depending on various factors including how close the margin is and the state’s rules for when mail-in ballots are counted. 

CBS News live coverage continues Wednesday on “CBS Mornings” and streaming throughout the day on CBS News 24/7.