CBS News starts Ballotpedia live coverage of the 2026 midterm election results at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Tony Dokoupil and Norah O'Donnell will anchor the prime-time block as results begin to roll in across the night.
The broadcast will cover all 435 House seats, 35 Senate races and governor contests in 39 states. Anthony Salvanto and Caitlin Huey-Burns will host Election 2026: The Nerd Show beginning at 5 p.m. ET, giving viewers a lead-in before the main results coverage starts two hours later.
Tony Dokoupil and Norah O'Donnell
Dokoupil and O'Donnell are the faces of the 7 p.m. ET start. They will be joined by Gayle King, Margaret Brennan, Robert Costa, Major Garrett, Nancy Cordes and Ed O'Keefe as the night opens on TV coverage tied to America Decides: Election 2026.
CBS News 24/7 will stream live coverage throughout Tuesday and all evening long. CBS Stations are also covering the election live across 15 owned markets, while CBS News Atlanta will not stream and local viewers can watch on WUPA Channel 69.
Poll closing times vary
The timetable stretches far beyond the first results. Polls close in the first batch of states at 7 p.m. ET, more states at 7:30 p.m. ET, and large numbers at 8 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET. California and several other Western states do not close until 11 p.m. ET, Hawaii closes an hour later, and Alaska closes at 1 a.m. ET.
That spread means some races will arrive quickly while others lag for hours, depending on how close the margin is and when mail-in ballots are counted. Alaska also has a closely watched Senate race, which could make that late close one of the night’s final pressure points for viewers trying to track control of Congress and the future of President Trump's agenda.
Wednesday coverage on CBS News
The coverage does not end when Tuesday night does. CBS News will continue on Wednesday on CBS Mornings and through streaming on CBS News 24/7 as results keep coming in and the slowest races remain unsettled.
For readers following the count in real time, the practical move is simple: check in at 5 p.m. ET for the warm-up, then stay with the 7 p.m. ET prime-time coverage if you want the first waves of results, the late Western states, and the races most likely to stretch into Wednesday morning.
