How likely is it that there Will be no mid terms élections in the US?
Executive summary
The prospect that the United States will simply have "no midterm elections" in 2026 is effectively vanishingly small: federal law provides no mechanism for a president to cancel or postpone congressional midterms, state election calendars and administrative deadlines are already in force, and across-the-board reporting treats the November 3, 2026 date as set and being actively prepared for (TIME; 270toWin; Reuters) [1] [2] [3]. Voices warning that elections could be disrupted point to rhetoric from President Trump and heightened partisan fear, but the concrete levers to stop a nationwide midterm are constrained by law, institutional practice and court oversight [3] [1] [4].
1. The legal and institutional wall against a presidential cancellation
Federal law does not authorize the president to cancel or postpone congressional elections, and lawyers and election experts uniformly note that there is no straightforward constitutional or statutory pathway for a president to unilaterally erase the midterms (TIME) [1]. That legal reality is reinforced by the decentralized architecture of U.S. elections: states run, schedule and certify most elements of federal contests, meaning any attempt to halt voting would require either state cooperation or extraordinary federal action—and either path would invite immediate litigation and institutional resistance (270toWin; Politico) [2] [5].
2. Rhetoric versus capability: what Trump said and what it would take
President Trump has floated the idea that elections “should” be canceled while simultaneously insisting he is not actually calling for cancellation—comments that have alarmed critics and reassured defenders in equal measure (Time; Reuters) [1] [3]. Reporting frames these remarks as political theater intended to prod allies and mobilize voters ahead of a difficult midterm environment, rather than as a concrete policy roadmap; but the statements do fuel concerns because they come from the presidency’s highest office [3] [6].
3. Administrative calendars and political timelines are already moving forward
Practical preparations for the November 3, 2026 midterms are underway: candidate filing windows and primary schedules are set in many states, election maps and special elections are being planned, and public-facing election resources present the midterms as scheduled (270toWin; Ballotpedia; Wikipedia) [2] [7] [8]. Some litigation over redistricting and court decisions could alter specific ballots or maps in a handful of states, but those disputes normally produce adjustments, not wholesale cancellations—and several outlets report officials and secretaries of state preparing for an on-time election cycle [5] [4].
4. Political incentives, risks and hidden agendas on both sides
Warnings that an administration might try to interfere with or cancel elections serve partisan purposes: opponents use the rhetoric to rally donors and warn voters about democratic erosion, while allies sometimes dismiss such warnings as fearmongering (AP; Daily Express; MS NOW) [4] [9] [10]. Meanwhile, suggestions that canceling midterms would resolve impeachment risks or preserve power reveal an implicit agenda—either deterrence (scaring opponents) or signaling to base voters—that is separate from any feasible legal strategy [3] [6].
5. Bottom line: likelihood and what would actually change the calculus
Given statutory prohibitions, state control of election machinery, active administrative timelines and expected court scrutiny, the probability that there will be no midterm elections in the United States in 2026 is extremely low; credible scenarios that would halt the midterms would require constitutional change, mass state cooperation in defiance of federal norms, or a breakdown of legal order that no major outlet treats as imminent [1] [2] [5]. That said, the rhetoric surrounding cancellation matters: it shapes public expectations, can increase mistrust in election outcomes, and raises the stakes for courts, secretaries of state and civil society to defend routine democratic processes [4] [11].