Seen And Heard At The US Midterm Elections
Mid-term elections are typically seen as a form of referendum on the sitting president.
Voters fill out their ballots at Eastern Market on November 03, 2026 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Kevin Dietsch / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Reporters, photographers and video journalists are deployed by AFP across the United States to document the 2026 midterm elections as Americans head to the polls.
Here is a round-up of interviews on Tuesday at polling stations where voters agreed to share their thoughts about what was on their minds and motivating their choices.
With polling data suggesting the Democratic Party is on track to capture a majority in the House of Representatives and perhaps even in the Senate, many left-leaning voters said they were hopeful about the results.
“Two years ago was a really devastating outcome for me,” Emma Mondadori, a 39-year-old who works in philanthropy, told AFP in Brooklyn, New York, referring to President Donald Trump’s election.
“I’ve been really looking forward to this day where we get to have a say again in the future of our country… I’m cautiously hopeful, optimistic.”
AUSTIN, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 03: Voters wait in line to cast their ballots at the polling place at the Baker Center on November 03, 2026 in Austin, Texas. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
With gasoline prices up by a third since last year and diesel nearly double — not to mention sharp food price inflation — everyday spending was on many people’s minds.
“It’s about the cost of living, gas prices, those kind of things. It needs to change for the everyday person, and I’m an everyday person,” Donta Comer, a 38-year-old project manager in Atlanta, Georgia, told AFP.
Tom, a 27-year-old businessman at the same polling station who declined to give his surname, agreed.
“Everyone, at least in my generation, is a little frustrated with the affordability crisis and gas prices and what’s going on abroad,” added the non-partisan voter.
Mid-term elections are typically seen as a form of referendum on the sitting president.
And few leaders have polarized public opinion as strongly as Donald Trump.
“I’m independent but I voted Democrat, I just wanted to go back into the culture of decency, integrity, honesty, and the rest follows,” Yan Cardineau, 59, told AFP in Austin, Texas. “If we lose that, it doesn’t matter how much money you make.”
Atlantans head to the polls to vote on Election Day at Park Tavern on November 3, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. Megan Varner/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Megan Varner / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Estrella Roque, a 69-year-old voter of Cuban origin, told AFP in Miami she had voted Republican.
“What I like about the Republicans is that they can fix the country,” she explained in Spanish. “Donald Trump hasn’t been given time to show who he really is.”
In his final pitch to voters, Trump has stressed his success in reducing immigration and stopping crossings along the southern border with Mexico.
While his tough stance plays well with his core supporters, others have been put off by the brutal tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
“I am very concerned about climate change, school violence and the situation with people who still don’t have immigration status in this country,” Diana Alvarez, a 38-year-old Cuban-born attorney said in Doral, Florida.
“It’s tough for any presidency, but this one in particular has been a little violent and aggressive (with migrants) and I don’t think that was necessary.”
Trump’s most consequential foreign policy decision of his second term — the February 28 attack on Iran along with Israel — was referenced by several voters.
“It’s discouraging. Again, promises made, promises not kept. ‘No new wars’ was the mantra,” Wes Pyron, a 37-year-old who works at an environmental health nonprofit in Washington, said.
“I don’t understand what we’re doing there, objectives aren’t clear, priorities aren’t clear.”
A person walks a dog past signs about gas, food prices and voting on November 3, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. Adam Gray/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Adam Gray / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Many Republican candidates and Trump have sought to portray their Democratic rivals as dangerous tax-and-spend Socialists intent on destroying American capitalism.
“A lot of today’s younger people think socialism is the way to go,” Daryl Ruley, an 84-year-old in Austin, Texas, told AFP. “They don’t understand history if they believe that’s the case.”
Maru Restrepo, a 70-year-old voter of Colombian origin in Miami, said Democrats had become “very Socialist, Communist, and Muslim.”
In one of the most widely watched races for the Senate — in Michigan — Democrat candidate Abdul El-Sayed has made free universal healthcare and ending US support for Israel key planks of his platform.
The Muslim former medical administrator has been called a jihadist by Trump and has been smeared with accusations of sympathizing with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood or Hamas.
“We just got to get it done because we all need help. I need help,” said Makeyla Borndes, a 51-year-old former teacher who was forced to retire after falling down a staircase.
She wore several El-Sayed pins on her green apron and neon pink socks.
