After the Midterms: The Key Dates to Watch Through December
From ballot deadlines and ranked-choice counts to leadership elections and certification, here is what happens next.
Election Day is over, but the 2026 midterms are not finished. Several races remain uncalled, party leaders must be chosen and states have weeks of counting and certification ahead. Here is a guide to the key dates, based on reporting by the Associated Press, CBS News, Axios and The Hill and on state election rules.
Still counting
Mississippi’s Senate race remained too close to call on Wednesday, with Democrat Scott Colom leading Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 43 votes with most of the vote counted, according to CBS News and USA Today. Absentee and affidavit ballots can still be counted through Nov. 10. The state holds no runoff in this race and has no automatic recount law; a recount can happen only if a court orders one after an election contest.
Roughly 60 House races were uncalled as of Wednesday, according to the AP, including 11 in California.
Nov. 10
California’s deadline for receiving mail ballots postmarked by Election Day, and the last day for Mississippi counties to count remaining absentee and affidavit ballots. House Republicans are scheduled to elect their leaders the same day, with Steve Scalise seeking the top job and Jim Jordan considering a run.
Also on Nov. 10 and 11, US-mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia are scheduled in Abu Dhabi.
Nov. 18
Alaska is set to run its ranked-choice tabulation. In the Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola led Sen. Dan Sullivan 48.2 percent to 47.9 percent, according to the AP. Because neither candidate has a majority, ballots for eliminated candidates will be redistributed based on voters’ rankings.
Nov. 25
Alaska’s target date for certifying results.
Early December
California counties face a Dec. 3 deadline to finish counting ballots. Senate Democrats are expected to hold leadership elections in early December, with Chuck Schumer favored to become majority leader.
On Dec. 9, the Federal Reserve is scheduled to announce its next interest rate decision, the first since the elections.
January
The new Congress will be sworn in on Jan. 3, 2027, with Democrats in control of both chambers for the first time since 2021.
Why the calendar matters
The final margins in the House and Senate will shape how much leverage Democrats have in negotiations with President Donald Trump. A few thousand ballots in California or a recount in Mississippi could change the size of the majorities, so the next several weeks still carry real stakes.
Developing: some details in this report are preliminary or unconfirmed and are identified as such in the text.
Sources: Associated Press, CBS News, Axios, Federal Reserve.
Get the BURN VOC Briefing
Top US news in your inbox. Free.
This story is published by BURN VOC under its newsroom byline and follows our editorial standards. Sources are named in the story. To report an error, email news@burnvoc.com. Editorial Standards · Corrections · About BURN VOC
