Elections & terms
midterm election
The federal election held at the midpoint of a presidential term: the whole House, about a third of the Senate, but no presidential race.
In full
Every two years, on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even years, the entire House and one Senate class stand for election. In years without a presidential contest these are the midterms, historically lower-turnout and historically unkind to the sitting President's party.
Also written as: midterms
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.