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How Midterms 2026 works
Predict 17 election outcomes with friends. Correct picks earn 100 minus the frozen price; misses earn 0. Ballots lock November 3 at 6 AM ET. All scores are published after the election is finalized; no live watching required. No money, just bragging rights.
Make one ballot
Choose one option for each of 17 questions: chamber control, nine Senate races, and six governors. The same ballot and points apply to every league you join. You can leave questions blank; they score 0.
Why these governor races
Thirty-six states elect a governor in 2026, and most of those races are not close. A near-certain race pays almost nothing to everyone, so it would lengthen the ballot without changing the standings. The ballot samples the competitive ones instead: every governor race the Cook Political Report rates a toss-up (Alaska, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin), plus Texas.
Rules and scoring
Correct picks earn 100 minus the frozen price. Incorrect picks earn 0. Your ceiling is the points you could earn if every pick is correct. All favorites shows the ceiling from choosing the higher-priced option on every question.
Prices and deadlines
Prices froze when leagues opened; the ballot displays the freeze time. A correction to the book is allowed only until November 2 at noon ET, and we email affected players if one is made. You can change picks until November 3 at 6 AM ET. Prices reflect public prediction-market consensus at freeze.
Results after the election
Submit your ballot, then leave it with us. Picks lock November 3 at 6 AM ET. There is no live scoring and no need to watch election night. We wait for finalized results, including any recounts, ranked-choice counts, or runoffs, then publish every score together and notify players.
Tiebreaker and final standings
Ties go to the closest Republican House seat prediction, using the final AP tally recorded when the election is resolved. An unanswered tiebreaker loses to a valid answer. Equal distances use earliest submission. The admin reviews all outcomes and records the results source before publishing final standings. There is no automatic December cutoff. A canceled or unresolvable question may be voided with an explanation; an unlisted winner also earns nobody points.
Ballot lines and joining late
Picks follow the ballot line if a nominee is replaced; its price stays the same and affected players receive a notice. After lock, all league ballots are visible. A late join carries an existing shared ballot and its points; someone without a ballot can follow as a spectator.
No money, just bragging rights
This game has no buy-in, pot, or settlement. The card is selected for competitive races, with North Carolina, Texas governor and the Nebraska independent race included. Both options receive equal visual weight. This is an unofficial, nonpartisan game.