Americans voted on Tuesday in midterm elections that will decide control of Congress, 36 governorships and thousands of state and local offices, in the first nationwide test of voter sentiment since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. More than 58 million people had already cast early in-person or mail-in ballots before Election Day, according to data compiled by the University of Florida's Election Lab.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate's 100 seats — 33 regular seats plus two special elections — are on the ballot. Republicans entered the vote defending narrow majorities: a 218–214 edge in the House and a 53–47 majority in the Senate, according to Reuters. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win the Senate.

What is at stake

The outcome will shape the final two years of Mr. Trump's term. If Democrats win the House, they would gain the power to block much of the president's legislative agenda; if Republicans hold both chambers, the White House keeps a freer hand. Mr. Trump has called the election the most important of "our lifetime," while Democrats have campaigned against an agenda they describe as dangerous.

Polls opened first in Vermont at 5 a.m. Eastern Time and rolled out across the country through the morning, with Hawaii the last to open at noon Eastern. Polls close in waves: the earliest close at 6 p.m. Eastern in parts of Indiana and Kentucky, with Alaska the last to close at around 1 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday. The first results were expected to arrive on Tuesday evening, though close races may take days to resolve as mail-in ballots are counted.

Races to watch

Several Senate contests drew national attention. In Ohio, appointed Senator Jon Husted faced former Senator Sherrod Brown in a race polls showed as effectively tied. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico led Republican Ken Paxton in recent surveys, while in Maine, Senator Susan Collins faced Democrat Troy Jackson. Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff sought re-election in another closely watched race, and in North Carolina, former Governor Roy Cooper led in polls for an open seat Democrats have long targeted.

Election officials said they had spent months preparing for possible federal involvement at polling places, after the president raised the prospect of federal enforcement of immigration laws and scrutiny of ballots and voting machines. Dozens of nonpartisan and partisan groups organised tens of thousands of volunteers to monitor polling places, and election-law experts said legal challenges were likely in contests too close to call, focusing on voting machines, mail-in ballots and voter eligibility.

Polls close in waves through Tuesday evening, with Alaska last — and with control of Congress on the line, the count stretching into Wednesday will decide the balance of power in Washington.