US midterm elections enter key vote-count phase as polls close in six states

Another round of polls closed at 7pm ET in six states, including Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia, as the US midterm elections moved deeper into the vote-count phase. Voters are deciding the balance of power in Congress for President Donald Trump's final two years in office. The results will determine which party controls the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The latest round of closures adds to a contest in which 35 Senate seats and all 435 House seats are on the ballot. Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats to the Democrats' 45, with two independents, while 51 seats are needed for a majority. In the House, 218 seats are needed to gain control, which is the exact number currently held by Republicans.

Attention is focused on six key Senate races in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Ohio and Texas. The stakes are high because the outcome will shape how much room the president has to advance his agenda in Congress. It will also be read as an early measure of voter sentiment during Trump's second term.

The live count is being watched closely because even small shifts in either chamber could alter the legislative balance in Washington. The election has already been marked by legal scrutiny over ballot handling. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop demanding that California election officials segregate ballots cast by people on lists of suspected non-citizens.

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The judge said the lists compiled by the administration were flawed and included many people who had been wrongly identified as non-citizens. That ruling came just before polling day and followed a separate Supreme Court decision rejecting a push for California to set aside 20,000 mail ballots that the administration said were cast by non-citizens. Together, the cases underline how election administration and voter eligibility disputes have remained active right up to the vote.

They also show how closely contested races can be affected by legal challenges as well as turnout and counting. What remains unclear is how quickly the final balance of power will settle in both chambers and whether the expected Democratic gains in the House will be matched by any shift in the Senate. The Michigan Senate race, where Representative Haley Stevens backed Republican Mike Rogers instead of Democratic candidate Abdul Al-Sayed, is one of the developments still being watched.

Further counting in the key states will determine whether Republicans can hold either chamber or whether control of Congress changes hands.

Americans are voting on Tuesday in the US midterm elections, with control of the House and Senate at stake. Democrats are widely projected to retake the House, while the Senate remains uncertain. The outcome will shape President Donald Trump's ability to pass legislation and will be read as a verdict on his second term.

The election comes after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop demanding that California election officials segregate ballots cast by people on lists of suspected noncitizens. US District Judge James Boasberg issued the ruling on Monday, one day before the vote. He found that the lists compiled by the administration were flawed and included many people who were wrongly listed as noncitizens.

The House and Senate are both closely contested, but the balance of expectations differs between the two chambers. Democrats need to gain three seats in the House and four in the Senate to take control from Republicans. That makes the lower chamber the likelier target for a shift in power, while the upper chamber remains harder to predict.

The result will determine how much room the president has to advance his agenda in Congress. The vote is also being watched for signs of how voters are responding to the political climate around Trump's second term. The live developments reported on election day include a high-profile Democratic defection in Michigan's Senate race, where Representative Haley Stevens backed Republican Mike Rogers instead of the Democratic candidate, Abdul Al-Sayed.

That move adds another layer of uncertainty to a race already shaped by a contested primary and a closely watched statewide contest. The legal dispute over ballot handling adds to the significance of the day. It reflects continuing tension over election administration and the use of federal lists to challenge voter eligibility.

The ruling also came after the Supreme Court rejected a push for California to set aside 20,000 mail ballots from people the administration claimed were noncitizens, underscoring how election-related litigation has remained active right up to polling day. What remains unclear is how the final balance of power will settle in both chambers and whether the expected Democratic gains in the House will be matched by any shift in the Senate. The Michigan race and the ballot dispute are among the developments to watch as counting continues.

The broader implications will depend on whether Republicans can hold either chamber and how quickly the results are accepted once the vote is complete.

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