Donald Trump has called it “most important in our lifetime” while senator Bernie Sanders says it’s the most important “in modern American history”.
asserted
it → call → history
Barack Obama called it a “circuit-breaker” and the “last, best chance” to rein in the president.
asserted
Obama → call → president
Will Americans use the day as a referendum on Donald Trump’s second term?
asserted
Americans → use → term
Will Democrats see a clean sweep of Congress?
asserted
Democrats → see → Congress
It’s all up in the air.
asserted
It → ’ → air
When do polls open, and close?
asserted
polls → open → ?
Polls open at 10pm AEDT Tuesday in New York and other east coast states and will open in the rest of the US throughout the evening.
asserted
Polls → open → evening
(That’s 9pm Tuesday 3 November in AEST zones, 9.30pm in South Australia, 8.30pm in Northern Territory and 7pm in Western Australia.)
asserted
That → ’ → Australia
Voting locations begin closing around 10am on Wednesday AEDT, with anyone still in line to vote at that time eligible to cast a ballot.
asserted
anyone → begin → ballot
A batch of US states will continue to close on the hour until 5pm in Sydney.
asserted
batch → continue → Sydney
Where are the key races to watch?
asserted
races → watch → ?
Election watchers will be laser-focused on Senate races for seats currently held by Republicans in Texas, Kansas, Maine, Iowa, Ohio and Alaska, as well as close races to hold on to Democratic seats in Michigan and Georgia.
asserted
watchers → hold → Michigan
Major names such as James Talarico and Abdul El-Sayed are aiming for a win to flip red seats blue.
asserted
names → aim → seats
US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a campaign event in Royal Oak, Michigan on 2 November.
asserted
Sayed → speak → November
Getty ImagesEvery House seat, 435 of them, is up for re-election as sitting members are forced to defend their turf every two years.
asserted
members → sit → turf
And 39 governorships, powerful positions to lead states, are also up for election.
asserted
governorships → lead → election
Australia’s ABC will be running coverage of the election all day on free-to-air television and YouTube .
asserted
ABC → run → television
When will we know what has happened?
asserted
what → know → ?
It depends.
asserted
It → depend → ?
Some states report results quickly, while others are notoriously slow.
asserted
others → report → results
Many states are allowed to process absentee and mail-in ballots before election day so they can report a tranche of results soon after polls close.
asserted
polls → allow → results
Democrats tend to vote earlier in greater numbers and Republicans tend to vote more in-person, so those early results can present a type of blue mirage that comes into sharper focus as the counts continue.
asserted
counts → tend → focus
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email What it will come down to is margin.
asserted
come → sign → What
If Democrats win a comfortable number of seats in the House, Senate or both, it could be an early result.
uncertain
it → win → House
But if key races are tight, and the final breakdown of Congress comes down to a seat or two, the US – and keen onlookers the world over – could be in for a long week.
uncertain
US → come → week
What’s at stake in the midterms?
asserted
What → ’ → midterms
US midterms: what are they and why do presidents dread them?
asserted
presidents → dread → them
If either switches hands it will be a major thorn in Trump’s side and sharply influence his agenda.
asserted
it → switch → agenda
If both do, he’ll be in peak lame duck territory.
asserted
he → do → territory
The House is needed to pass any legislation, and has the ability to open investigations or demand testimony from Trump officials.
asserted
House → need → officials
A Democratic Senate could also stymie any nominations for positions such as the supreme court.
uncertain
Senate → stymie → court
Many of those decisions come down to a simple majority vote.
asserted
Many → come → vote
But even with Democrats in charge, things such as impeachment remain relatively far-fetched as they need to meet a much higher barrier with a simple majority in the House but a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
asserted
they → remain → Senate
What’s election day like in the US?
asserted
day → like → US
It’s not like in Australia.
asserted
It → ’ → Australia
Voters turn up and vote in person throughout the day which can present difficulties for anyone working a nine to five job.
asserted
which → turn → job
Polls generally close between 7pm and 9pm local time.
asserted
Polls → close → pm
Election rules also differ in every state.
asserted
rules → differ → state
Some states allow early voting and some don’t.
asserted
some → allow → voting
Eight states mail ballots to all eligible voters, some allow mail-in ballots for absentee voting with no reason needed, while others require an excuse to request one.
asserted
others → mail → one
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
