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Check out our election coverage. Due to unforeseen circumstances, NSPR will no longer be able to broadcast Hearts of Space.

Election Day 2026: Photos from around the country

NPR | By Meredith Nierman
Published November 3, 2026 at 4:00 PM PST
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
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.

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.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Voters fill out their ballots at Chicago's McKinley Park Library.
Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times and WBEZ
Voters fill out their ballots at Chicago's McKinley Park Library.
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
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.
Voters take to the polls at Wild Carrot, an event space in St. Louis' Shaw neighborhood.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
Voters take to the polls at Wild Carrot, an event space in St. Louis' Shaw neighborhood.
Diane Mitchell hands out Dutch Deli sandwiches and cookies from a food truck in Des Moines, Iowa.
Madeleine Charis King / Iowa Public Radio
Diane Mitchell hands out Dutch Deli sandwiches and cookies from a food truck in Des Moines, Iowa.
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
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.
Voters drop off ballots outside the City Hall Voting Center in San Francisco.
Beth LaBerge / KQED
Voters drop off ballots outside the City Hall Voting Center in San Francisco.
A large "VOTE" sign hangs from a balcony outside of Hartford City Hall in Hartford, Conn.
Raquel C. Zaldívar / New England News Collaborative
A large "VOTE" sign hangs from a balcony outside of Hartford City Hall in Hartford, Conn.
A voter collects their "I Voted" sticker after casting their ballot at Manchester High School in Manchester, Conn.
Tyler Russell / Connecticut Public
A voter collects their "I Voted" sticker after casting their ballot at Manchester High School in Manchester, Conn.
Voters cast their ballots at electronic voting stations at a polling station in Hastings City Hall in Hastings, Minn.
Kerem Yücel / MPR News
Voters cast their ballots at electronic voting stations at a polling station in Hastings City Hall in Hastings, Minn.
"NATL GUARD 50 FT BACK" is marked on a sidewalk in Washington, D.C.'s Columbia Heights neighborhood.
Ben Ackman / WAMU
"NATL GUARD 50 FT BACK" is marked on a sidewalk in Washington, D.C.'s Columbia Heights neighborhood.
Voters wait in line to cast their ballots at University Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas.
Patricia Lim / KUT News
Voters wait in line to cast their ballots at University Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas.
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
A "VOTE HERE" sign is posted at the entrance of the voting station at the Lyon Upper School in Boston's Allston neighborhood.
Pork Chop carries Jon Cuha's ballot before Cuha casts his vote at Multnomah County ballot box in Portland, Ore.
Julia Reihs / OPB
Pork Chop carries Jon Cuha's ballot before Cuha casts his vote at Multnomah County ballot box in Portland, Ore.
Miniature voting booths await Clayton Early Learning students as they prepare to weigh in on a new breakfast snack in Denver, Colo.
Kevin Beaty / Denverite
Miniature voting booths await Clayton Early Learning students as they prepare to weigh in on a new breakfast snack in Denver, Colo.
Voters wait in line to cast their ballots inside the Barre Municipal Auditorium in Barre, Vt.
David Littlefield / Vermont Public
Voters wait in line to cast their ballots inside the Barre Municipal Auditorium in Barre, Vt.
Close-up of stickers that say "Future Voter" rest on a table inside the Town Hall in West Hartford, Conn.
Ayannah Brown / Connecticut Public
Close-up of stickers that say "Future Voter" rest on a table inside the Town Hall in West Hartford, Conn.
Supporters wait for Democrat incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker to take the stage at an election night rally at Navy Pier in Chicago after he beat Republican candidate Darren Bailey in Illinois' gubernatorial election.
Candace Dane Chambers / Sun-Times and WBEZ
Supporters wait for Democrat incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker to take the stage at an election night rally at Navy Pier in Chicago after he beat Republican candidate Darren Bailey in Illinois' gubernatorial election.
Tori Schafer, a spokesperson for the Stop the Ban campaign, embraces Maggie Olivia, director of policy and external affairs for Abortion Action Missouri, during a midterm election watch party at Zack, an arts facility in St. Louis' Midtown neighborhood. The amendment would have reversed a 2024 voter-approved amendment enshrining the right to an abortion and other related healthcare into the state's constitution.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
Tori Schafer, a spokesperson for the Stop the Ban campaign, embraces Maggie Olivia, director of policy and external affairs for Abortion Action Missouri, during a midterm election watch party at Zack, an arts facility in St. Louis' Midtown neighborhood. The amendment would have reversed a 2024 voter-approved amendment enshrining the right to an abortion and other related healthcare into the state's constitution.
Supporters embrace as results come in at a Ken Paxton watch party in Dallas. Paxton, Texas Republicans' nominee for the U.S. Senate, lost the race to Democrat James Talarico.
Yfat Yossifor / KERA News
Supporters embrace as results come in at a Ken Paxton watch party in Dallas. Paxton, Texas Republicans' nominee for the U.S. Senate, lost the race to Democrat James Talarico.
Andrew Matthews (left), Katie Graham (center) and Alison Weis (right) celebrate as James Talarico wins the Texas senate race and Gina Hinojosa wins the governor's race at Talarico's watch party in Austin, Texas.
Lorianne Willett / KUT News
Andrew Matthews (left), Katie Graham (center) and Alison Weis (right) celebrate as James Talarico wins the Texas senate race and Gina Hinojosa wins the governor's race at Talarico's watch party in Austin, Texas.
Emeka Alozie (center) reacts as the crowd realizes that Democrats won control of the Senate during an election night watch party for the Washington State Democratic Party at Stoup Brewing in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Megan Farmer / KUOW
Emeka Alozie (center) reacts as the crowd realizes that Democrats won control of the Senate during an election night watch party for the Washington State Democratic Party at Stoup Brewing in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.
A television displays early election analysis during a Democratic watch party at Dunkin' Park in Hartford, Conn.
Ayannah Brown / Connecticut Public
A television displays early election analysis during a Democratic watch party at Dunkin' Park in Hartford, Conn.
Sherlock Ganz reacts as Texas election results are broadcast during the Democratic Party of Oregon's election night party at the Portland Hilton.
Jenny Kane / OPB
Sherlock Ganz reacts as Texas election results are broadcast during the Democratic Party of Oregon's election night party at the Portland Hilton.
At Assembly Hall in Austin, Texas, Bethbiriah Sanchez reacts to news of Gina Hinojosa's victory in the Texas gubernatorial race.
Michael Minasi / KUT News
At Assembly Hall in Austin, Texas, Bethbiriah Sanchez reacts to news of Gina Hinojosa's victory in the Texas gubernatorial race.
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Meredith Nierman
Meredith Nierman is the Senior Editor Network Visuals at NPR where she collaborates closely with NPR member stations nationwide to elevate photojournalism across the network. She brings over two decades of experience in visual media production and leadership for public media from her tenure at GBH (PBS and NPR Member organization) in Boston.