How many house seats are up for election in 2026
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Executive summary
All 435 voting seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are scheduled to be up for election on November 3, 2026, as part of the regular midterm cycle, and the contests will also include several non‑voting delegate races in U.S. territories and the District of Columbia [1] [2] [3]. This is the standard pattern for biennial House elections, in which every two years the entire chamber is on the ballot [4].
1. All 435 voting seats: the simple arithmetic of House terms
The Constitutionally driven rhythm of the House means every member serves a two‑year term and therefore every one of the 435 voting congressional districts will be contested in 2026, a fact reiterated across election trackers and civic guides [1] [2] [3]. Major outlets and election analysts uniformly list “all 435” as the count of voting seats up for grabs in November 2026, and rating shops such as the Cook Political Report and 270toWin frame their analyses across that full slate [5] [6].
2. Non‑voting delegates and special elections: a small, important addendum
Beyond the 435 voting seats, election calendars note that the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories will hold delegate contests: the 2026 cycle includes the non‑voting delegate for D.C. and delegates from four of the five territories on the ballot, and a handful of special elections may also be scheduled to fill vacancies concurrently with the general election [1]. Sources document at least a few special contests taking place in 2026 alongside the general cycle, underscoring that the full roster of contests extends beyond the 435 voting seats in practical terms [1].
3. Why every seat matters: context from reporting and ratings
Analysts treat the 435 races as a single universe because party control of the chamber is determined by that total—218 seats constitute a majority when all seats are filled—and political handicappers score competitiveness across all districts as a single map [7] [6]. Political outlets and trackers explicitly state the stakes in the same breath as the seat count, using the 435‑seat baseline to calculate what either party must gain or defend to win the House in 2026 [2] [6].
4. Open seats, retirements and map changes: the variables within the 435
While the headline number is fixed at 435 voting seats, the domestic political landscape reshapes many of those contests via retirements, open seats, redistricting, and in‑cycle map changes; reporters and trackers list dozens of incumbents not seeking reelection and note mid‑cycle redistricting actions in several states that will alter the competitive profile of specific districts within the 435 [8] [9] [1]. Cook, Ballotpedia and Wikipedia trackers all catalog open seats and retirements, emphasizing that the raw count conceals substantial churn that will influence which of the 435 seats are truly competitive [9] [8] [10].
5. What sources agree on — and what they do not claim
Every reliable source provided here concurs that 435 voting House seats will be on the ballot in 2026; multiple civic and media outlets also confirm delegate contests and note a few special elections occurring in the same cycle [1] [2] [3]. Where reporting diverges is not on the count itself but on the prognostication—different outlets emphasize different competitive districts, rates of retirements, and the impact of redistricting—but none of the cited sources dispute the fundamental answer that all 435 voting seats are up for election [5] [8] [10].