What are midterm elections in the United States?

Midterm elections happen halfway through a US president’s four-year term, which is where the name comes from. The president is not on the ballot.

Instead, Americans vote for:

• All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, because House members serve two-year terms.
• About one-third of the 100 Senate seats, since senators serve six-year terms on a rotating basis.
• Many state governors, state legislators and local officials.

Midterms often act as a report card on the sitting president. Historically, the president’s party usually loses seats, because voters who are unhappy tend to turn out in bigger numbers than those who are satisfied.