Can I trust the polls? And other questions from listeners about the 2026 midterms

Ahead of Election Day, listeners send in questions about whether debates are dead, if polls are reliable for election coverage and how Trump might work with Democrats if they win control of Congress.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5500x3688+0+0/resize/5500x3688!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc6%2Ff4%2F74db819942a285f0286cd2ab727c%2Fgettyimages-2301917855.jpg' alt='Voters fill out their ballots at an early voting polling place at Bethel Lutheran Church on October 28, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn.'/><p>Ahead of Election Day, listeners send in questions about whether debates are dead, if polls are reliable for election coverage and how Trump might work with Democrats if they win control of Congress.</p><p>(Image credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-149981' />