What could the midterms change in Congress? What do early-voting numbers reveal? And what happens after Election Day?

What happens if the election results are close? What if a candidate refuses to concede? And what happens between the time polls close and the moment elected officials actually take office?

In this episode of The Justice Briefing, historian Dr. Jemar Tisby examines the November 3 elections and the processes that follow.

• How a new House majority could block legislation, conduct investigations, and exercise oversight.
• Why early-voting turnout is drawing attention in North Carolina, Florida, and other states.
• Which Southern races involving Black candidates have historic significance.
• How vote counting, recounts, legal challenges, and certification work.
• What the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party's 1964 challenge teaches us about political participation and long-term change.

This episode connects the immediate stakes of the 2026 midterms to the history and institutions that shape American democracy.

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00:00 — Why the midterms don't end on November 3

01:39 — What's at stake in the 2026 elections?

04:57 — What a Democratic House majority could do

07:01 — Congressional investigations and oversight

09:34 — Impeachment powers and the limits of House control

11:54 — What political participation can accomplish

12:42 — Supporting independent journalism and the forthcoming book

14:54 — Early-voting turnout and Kentucky's limited voting window

17:01 — Party breakdowns: North Carolina, Florida, and other states

21:48 — Competitive races and Black candidates in the South

25:51 — Georgia, Stacey Abrams, and the importance of long-term organizing

29:38 — Florida, Byron Donalds, and the meaning of political representation

37:26 — What happens after Election Day?

41:18 — Counting, recounts, challenges, and certification

43:18 — How to evaluate claims about election integrity

53:26 — Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party

56:58 — What history teaches about political change