Home › Best prediction markets › Best prediction markets for politics and elections
Updated September 25, 2026 · 6 platforms compared · every fact links to a dated source below · not financial or legal advice
Which political market fits depends first on where you live. Outside the US, Polymarket.com lists politics and geopolitics markets, charging takers a 0.04 rate on politics and nothing on geopolitics, and Betfair Exchange runs political markets under UK and other gambling licenses.[1][2][3] In the US, Kalshi, Polymarket US and Interactive Brokers' ForecastEx offer election contracts on CFTC-regulated exchanges, and PredictIt, which runs under a CFTC no-action letter, caps each contract at $3,500 and takes 10% of profits.[4][5][6][7][8][9] Election contracts are blocked in some states: court orders keep Kalshi's out of Nevada and Washington and Polymarket's out of Nevada.[10][11][12]
| Platform | Who can use it | What you can trade | Fees, as documented | Minimums and funding | Regulator or license | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polymarket (international site) | Outside the US; blocked in 39 countries including the UK, France and Germany[13] | Politics and geopolitics markets, alongside sports, crypto and more[1] | Takers pay shares × 0.04 × p × (1 − p) on politics and nothing on geopolitics; makers pay nothing (help page updated July 10, 2026)[1] | Crypto deposits converted to pUSD on Polygon, from $2 on most networks[14] | Says it is not regulated by the CFTC[15] | Disputed results go through a 2-hour challenge window and, if disputed twice, a UMA token-holder vote[16] |
| Kalshi | 18+; US residents and many other countries; court orders block its election contracts in Nevada and Washington[17][18][10][11] | US elections and primaries, Senate, House and governor races, international elections, Congress and court cases[4][19] | Takers pay 0.07 × contracts × price × (1 − price), rounded up (schedule effective February 5, 2026); Kalshi says some markets, such as elections, can carry different fees[20][21] | $10 minimum; bank, debit card, PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, crypto or wire[22] | CFTC designated contract market[23] | Markets can stay open after the vote while Kalshi waits for official results before settling[24] |
| Polymarket US | US residents 18+; a Nevada court barred Polymarket's election contracts in that state[25][12] | Politics alongside sports, crypto, economics and more, in US dollars[5] | Takers pay 0.0695 × contracts × p × (1 − p), at most $1.74 per 100 contracts at 50 cents; makers get a rebate (schedule effective September 25, 2026)[26] | Debit card or ACH up to $50,000 a day each, wire from $1,000[27] | CFTC designated contract market and clearing organization[5] | Political markets can take longer to resolve when certification is needed, and resolutions are final[28] |
| Interactive Brokers (ForecastEx) | Clients aged 21+ of Interactive Brokers' US, Canadian, Hong Kong, Irish and Singapore firms; US election contracts for eligible US residents only[6] | Elections, government, economics and climate; Kalshi and CME contracts from the same account[29][30][6] | ForecastEx contracts: no commission and a $0.01 exchange fee per contract; Kalshi and CME contracts: $0.01 commission plus $0.01 exchange fee (pricing page accessed September 25, 2026)[31] | Through an Interactive Brokers account; ForecastEx positions earn a coupon of 3.38% APY, a rate that can change[6] | ForecastEx LLC is a CFTC designated contract market and clearing organization; Interactive Brokers LLC is a CFTC-registered futures commission merchant[32][6] | Only ForecastEx contracts are commission-free; Kalshi and CME contracts add a $0.01 commission per contract[31] |
| PredictIt | US persons aged 18 or older[33] | Elections, nominations, legislation and court decisions, plus some economic indicators; no war, terrorism or assassination markets[7][34] | 10% of the profit on shares sold above cost or paid out at $1 (fees FAQ updated September 22, 2026); the 5% withdrawal fee was removed on September 23, 2026[9][35] | $10 minimum balance; bank transfers free; one fee-free card deposit of up to $1,000, 3% on other card deposits[33][9][35] | Not regulated by the CFTC; runs under CFTC no-action Letter 25-20 of July 14, 2025[33][7] | $3,500 limit per contract per trader[8] |
| Betfair Exchange | 18+; not the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and other listed territories on betfair.com[36] | Political and other special markets alongside sports; a Yes/No Betfair Predicts interface was in beta for some UK users in April 2026[2][37] | Commission on net winnings: 5% in the UK and Ireland, 6.5% in most other countries (rates page archived December 25, 2025); Expert Fee for the most profitable customers since January 6, 2025[38][39][40] | Bank transfer, debit card, Apple Pay, PayPal and more; no deposit fees[41] | UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority and other national gambling regulators[3][42] | It is a betting exchange under gambling law, so each country's betting rules apply, and top winners pay the Expert Fee[42][40] |
Best for: Readers outside the US: low fees on politics, none on geopolitics
Why it fits: It lists politics and geopolitics markets, and its politics rate of 0.04 costs takers $1.00 per 100 contracts at a 50-cent price, with no fee at all on geopolitics.[1]
Watch out: It is closed in the US and 39 countries on its list, it is funded with crypto, and disputed results can go to a UMA token-holder vote.[13][14][16]
More on this site: Politics odds on Polymarket · How election markets work
Best for: US elections, primaries and courts on a CFTC exchange
Why it fits: Its election list runs from the 2028 race and Senate seats to primaries, governors and international elections, on a CFTC-regulated exchange that takes bank, card and crypto deposits from $10.[4][23][22]
Watch out: Its election contracts are blocked in Nevada and Washington, and Kalshi says election markets can carry different fees from its general schedule.[10][11][21]
More on this site: Polymarket vs Kalshi odds today · 2028 presidential election odds
Best for: US residents who want Polymarket's political markets in dollars
Why it fits: It brings Polymarket's markets, politics included, to US residents on a CFTC-regulated exchange with no trading size limits and published resolution sources.[5][43][28]
Watch out: A Nevada court has barred Polymarket's election contracts in that state, and the exchange's resolutions are final.[12][28]
More on this site: Polymarket US explained · 2026 midterms odds
Best for: IBKR clients who want election contracts next to their portfolio
Why it fits: Eligible clients trade ForecastEx, Kalshi and CME election and economic contracts from one account, ForecastEx charges no commission, and ForecastEx positions earn an interest-like coupon.[30][31][6]
Watch out: You need to be 21, and US election contracts are only for eligible US residents.[6]
More on this site: Polymarket vs ForecastEx
Best for: Small positions on US politics
Why it fits: It is built around US political questions and keeps positions small with a $3,500 limit per contract.[34][8]
Watch out: On a winning trade its 10% fee on profit is usually larger than the exchanges' per-contract fees, though a losing trade pays no fee; and it is not a CFTC-regulated exchange.[9][7]
More on this site: Polymarket vs PredictIt
Best for: Readers in the UK and other licensed countries
Why it fits: It runs political markets as a licensed betting exchange, with commission charged only on net winnings.[2][3][38]
Watch out: It bars US customers and several European countries, and the Expert Fee applies to its most profitable customers.[36][40]
More on this site: Polymarket vs Betfair Exchange
We compared the platforms on five criteria for people who follow politics and elections, using each platform's own fee schedules, help pages and terms, regulator records and court orders, all dated in the source list. The order reflects political coverage, fees and how many readers can use each platform.
Also considered: Robinhood, which routes election contracts to Kalshi and ForecastEX, and Crypto.com, which lists elections on its own exchange; both are covered in our other guides.[44][45][46]
Compared in depth on this site: Polymarket vs Robinhood · Polymarket vs Crypto.com
Where you can sign up depends on where you live and where you are when you trade, and it changes as regulators, courts and the platforms themselves change their rules. Check each platform's own eligibility pages before you open an account.
This page has no affiliate or referral links, and the order above follows the criteria, not payments. Fees and rules are quoted as each platform documented them on the dates in the source list. Educational information, not financial or legal advice.
US residents can trade election contracts on CFTC-regulated exchanges such as Kalshi, Polymarket US and ForecastEx, and on PredictIt under a CFTC no-action letter. Court orders block Kalshi's election contracts in Nevada and Washington and Polymarket's in Nevada. Not legal advice.[4][5][6][7][10][11][12]
On 100 contracts bought at 50 cents, a taker pays $1.00 on Polymarket.com (the 0.04 politics rate), $1.00 in exchange fees on ForecastEx, $1.74 on Polymarket US and $1.75 at Kalshi's general rate. PredictIt instead takes 10% of profit: $5.00 if those 100 shares win. Geopolitics markets on Polymarket.com have no fee.[1][31][26][20][9]
PredictIt limits each trader to $3,500 per contract. Polymarket US sets no trading size limits, and ForecastEx's rulebook sets a position accountability level of 250,000 contracts per market.[8][43][47]
Polymarket.com uses the UMA oracle: a 2-hour challenge window and, after a second dispute, a token-holder vote. Polymarket US resolves from the sources in each market's rules, and its resolutions are final. Kalshi waits for official source data, and PredictIt judges markets against their posted rules.[16][28][24][48]
Polymarket.com, which lists politics and geopolitics markets, is open in countries that are not on its blocked list. ForecastEx's US election contracts are for eligible US residents only. Betfair Exchange runs political markets for customers in the countries it serves; check each market's rules.[13][2][6]
Other guides: Best prediction markets for beginners · Best prediction markets for crypto users · Best prediction markets for sports fans · Best prediction markets outside the US · All guides
Polymarket View is independent and not affiliated with Polymarket or any other platform listed. This page has no affiliate or referral links. Availability depends on where you live and changes over time; check each platform's own rules before you sign up. Educational information, not financial or legal advice. Polymarket odds today