- Published
Millions of Americans are voting in midterm elections.
asserted
Millions → publish → elections
The outcome determines which party - US President Donald Trump's Republicans or opposition Democrats - controls Congress and could have a significant impact on Trump's presidency.
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party → determine → presidency
Once polls close, it is possible the results will not be projected for several hours, days or even weeks.
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results → close → hours
Here's what you need to know.
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you → need → what
When will we know the results and who controls Congress?
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who → know → Congress
Congress is made up of two parts - the lower chamber, the House of Representatives and the upper chamber, the Senate.
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Congress → make → Representatives
To win a majority in the House, a party needs 218 seats.
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party → win → seats
In the Senate, a party needs 51 seats for an outright majority.
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party → need → majority
But if the upper chamber is split 50-50, the vice-president has a tie-breaking vote, which gives their party control of it.
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which → split → it
First results will start to come in after 18:00 EST (23:00 GMT).
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results → start → EST
They won't tell us much about the overall result because these races are in places considered safe bets for Republicans (Kentucky and Indiana) or Democrats (Vermont).
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races → tell → Republicans
Throughout the night, BBC analysts will focus on the competitive races which will give an indication of how well things are going for Trump.
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things → focus → Trump
There are several tight Senate contests in the Eastern Time zone - like Ohio, where polls close at 19:30 EST (00:30 GMT) and Maine, where they shut at 20:00 EST (01:00 GMT).
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they → be → EST
These could provide early indications of the electorate's mood.
uncertain
These → provide → mood
Some key contests might start to be "called" by US media outlets.
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contests → start → outlets
They use models to project which way a state has voted, even before the full vote count has been completed.
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count → use → way
This happens when they believe a party or a candidate has gained a lead that cannot be beaten.
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that → happen → lead
But in some closely-fought states, outlets could take a long time to make their projections.
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outlets → fight → projections
The overall timing of the result will depend on how tight the races are and which races end up being decisive.
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races → depend → result
When did we know the results in 2022?
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we → know → 2022
While Republicans were favourites to win the House of Representatives, the fight for the Senate remained on a knife-edge.
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fight → win → edge
The full picture took several days.
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picture → take → days
CBS News projected Republicans had secured the 218 seats needed for a majority in the House on 17 November.
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Republicans → project → November
Counting in a crucial Senate race in Nevada took four days.
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Counting → count → days
The Democrats' narrow victory in the state brought them to 50 seats, allowing them to retain control of the Senate because then Vice-President Kamala Harris held a tie-breaking vote.
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Harris → bring → vote
Georgia's Senate contest had to be settled by a run-off election because no candidate passed the 50% mark in November.
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candidate → have → November
The results were not available until 7 December, when Democrats won this seat.
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Democrats → win → seat
What are the key races to watch in 2026?
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races → watch → 2026
Of these, six are currently held by Republicans and one by Democrats.
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six → hold → Democrats
The Democrats would need to win four of those seats, plus four classed as likely or leaning Democratic, to hit 51 and take control of the Senate.
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Democrats → need → Senate
If Democrats fail to keep hold of their seat in Michigan, winning a majority in the Senate becomes much harder.
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winning → fail → Senate
But polls have suggested they have a chance even in Texas where former teacher James Talarico could become the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the state since 1988 if he defeats Ken Paxton, the current state attorney general and close Trump ally.
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he → suggest → Paxton
They have 218 representatives, the exact number needed to have control, plus one independent who votes with them.
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who → have → them
Some of the most closely-watched races in the House are in east-coast states, according to the Cook Political Report.
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Some → watch → Report
These include New York's 17th District, Pennsylvania's 8th District and Virginia's 1st District.
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These → include → District
When do polls close?
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polls → close → ?
The results of a voter poll will be released at 17:00 EST (22:00 GMT), which will give us an indication of the issues at the forefront of voters' minds.
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which → release → minds
Then, at 18:00 EST (23:00 GMT), the first polls close in Kentucky and Indiana.
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polls → close → Kentucky
After that, all eyes will be focused on the seven key battleground states:
19:30 EST (00:30 GMT) - Polls close in Ohio, where Republican Senator Jon Husted finds himself neck-and-neck with Democrat Sherrod Brown.
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himself → focus → Brown
Results from this state could give us a clue as to how the night might unfold
20:00 EST (01:00 GMT) - Voting ends in the tight Senate race in Maine between Republican Senator Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson and in most of Michigan, Kansas and Texas
21:00 EST (02:00 GMT) - Polls close in Iowa and the remaining parts of Michigan that sit in the Central Time Zone, as well as Kansas and Texas.
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that → give → Zone
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia
