With a year to go until Election Day, Tuesday’s results could shape the 2026 midterms

From New York and New Jersey to California, millions of Americans will vote this fall in several states, in several notable local and state elections for the first time since last November’s presidential race.

Tuesday’s off-year election results in New Jersey and Virginia, and the New York City mayoral race, will give voters a chance to weigh in on the state of the country and their communities.

ABC News has launched a series of stories and reports across multiple platforms to comprehensively cover the central issues of this year’s election and look ahead to the 2026 midterms.

Tuesday’s elections could offer clues about how Americans view this crucial moment in the country and reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each party’s position a year before the subsequent 2026 midterm elections.

And in California, where Democrats have asked voters to approve redrawing the state’s congressional map as part of a national battle over redistricting, the results will help shape next year’s fight for the balance of power in Washington and control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The stakes are high for both parties: A new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, conducted using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel, found that two-thirds of Americans say the country is “pretty badly on track,” compared to a third who say it is moving in the right direction.

That figure, while lower than the 75% of Americans who said the same at the same time last year, comes at a time when six in 10 Americans blame President Donald Trump for the current rate of inflation.

More than 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy, management of the federal government and tariffs, and 64% said he is going “too far” in trying to expand presidential power.

At the same time, 68% of Americans say the Democratic Party is “out of touch with the concerns of most people in the United States today,” compared to 63% who feel the same about Trump and 61% who say the Republican Party is out of touch.

Voters will weigh in on the state of the country this fall, as the federal government remains shut down and Democrats locked in a battle with Republicans and the Trump administration over federal spending and health care.

Americans blame both parties for the stalemate that is jeopardizing some federal programs and the frozen wages of hundreds of thousands of government workers. The message some voters are sending this week could potentially break the impasse and boost talks to reopen the government.