On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Americans vote in the midterm elections. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 Senate seats, and 36 governorships are on the ballot. The new Congress takes office on January 3, 2027. That date matters for your money — but not the way election-night headlines suggest. Here are the five money questions the new Congress will decide, and what changes nothing on November 4. 1. What is actually decided on November 3? Voters decide who controls the House and the Senate, and who governs 36 states. That control decides which bills get a vote: tax law, health-care funding, and retirement policy all start in Congress. But election night does not settle everything. The first polls close at 6 PM Eastern on November 3, and results that night are preliminary. Close races can take days or even weeks to resolve. So do not make a money move on November 4 based on a headline about who "won" — wait until control is actually decided. The same day bri...