Voting Guide for Target Races

Your state-by-state guide to the races and ballot measures that matter most this November.

LGBTQ+ rights are on the ballot this November. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the Human Rights Campaign is mobilizing 74 million Equality Voters across the country to win big.

The stakes are high. These midterms are a referendum on equality: a moment to check extremism, hold leaders accountable and fight for the freedom every person deserves. In Congress, the balance of power will decide whether pro-equality leaders can push back. And in six states, voters will decide directly on measures targeting trans youth, abortion access and marriage equality.

That fight starts with us. We’re organizing to win — focusing our efforts where they matter most, building LGBTQ+ political power and equipping communities to counter disinformation and turn out the vote. Let’s Get Free is about action, momentum and making victory possible — because if we want freedom, we have to go out and get it.

HRC’s Priority Races for 2026

These are the most hotly contested races of the year, where polls show tight margins and turnout will decide the outcome. The candidates below have built strong, pro-equality campaigns that can put a check on the recklessness of the Trump administration and push equality forward for the LGBTQ+ community.

Find your state

Choose a state to see who to vote for and what’s on your ballot.

Arizona

U.S. House

Vote for

Amish Shah AZ-1

An independent voice standing up to extremist attacks on abortion and voting rights.

Donate to Shah
Vote for

JoAnna Mendoza AZ-6

Practical, unifying solutions to lower costs and defend equal rights for all.

Donate to Mendoza

Ballot measures

Vote NO

Prop 318

Expands the transgender sports ban and adds a bathroom ban.

California

U.S. House

Vote for

Scott Wiener CA-11

Passed the nation’s first sanctuary state law protecting trans people.

Donate to Wiener
Vote for

Randy Villegas CA-22

Professor and organizer fighting for working families and democracy.

Donate to Villegas
Vote for

Marni von Wilpert CA-48

San Diego councilmember who flipped the city’s most conservative district blue.

Donate to von Wilpert
Colorado

Ballot measures

Vote NO

Proposition 134

A blanket ban on transgender students playing sports.

Vote NO

Proposition 135

Bans health care for transgender youth.

Georgia

U.S. Senate

Vote for

Jon Ossoff

Passed laws protecting kids online and strengthening mental health care for veterans.

Donate to Ossoff
Michigan

U.S. Senate

Vote for

Abdul El-Sayed

Public health leader vowing to be a “lion for LGBTQ+ rights” in the Senate.

Donate to El-Sayed

U.S. House

Vote for

Will Lawrence MI-7

Organizer working to lower costs and protect civil rights and abortion access.

Donate to Lawrence
Vote for

Jeremy Moss MI-11

Helped pass Michigan’s comprehensive nondiscrimination law in 2023.

Donate to Moss
Minnesota

U.S. Senate

Vote for

Peggy Flanagan

Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, pledged to support the Equality Act in the Senate.

Donate to Flanagan
Missouri

Ballot measures

Vote NO

Amendment 3

Reimposes the state’s abortion ban and blocks health care for transgender youth.

Nebraska

Ballot measures

Vote NO

Initiative 442

A blanket sports ban for trans youth in schools.

Lawsuits still pending as of Sept. 17.

New Hampshire

U.S. Senate

Vote for

Chris Pappas

New Hampshire’s first openly LGBTQ+ member of Congress, running for an open seat.

Donate to Pappas
New York

U.S. House

Vote for

Cait Conley NY-17

Combat veteran who served under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, taking on Rep. Mike Lawler.

Donate to Conley
Ohio

U.S. Senate

Vote for

Sherrod Brown

Longtime LGBTQ+ champion running for the seat JD Vance vacated.

Donate to Brown
Pennsylvania

U.S. House

Vote for

Paige Cognetti PA-8

Scranton’s mayor and a supporter of the Equality Act.

Donate to Cognetti
Texas

U.S. Senate

Vote for

James Talarico

Rejecting the politics of fear to stand up for LGBTQ+ Texans.

Donate to Talarico
Virginia

Ballot measures

Vote YES

Marriage Equality Amendment

Removes the same-sex marriage ban from the state constitution.

Washington

Ballot measures

Vote NO

IL 26-001

Would force schools to out students and open their records to parents under abuse investigation.

Vote NO

L26-638

Requires women and girls to medically certify their sex to play sports.

Want to know more about candidates? Our full House and Senate guides have complete candidate bios, race details and more ways to get involved.

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