Voting Under Way in US Midterm Elections, Polls Put Democrats Ahead

Voting in the United States midterm elections is taking place today, Tuesday (November 3). Voters will decide control of the lower chamber of Congress, the House of Representatives, and the upper chamber, the Senate. Pre-election opinion polls have shown the Democrats ahead of the Republicans, though several states are pointing to neck-and-neck contests between the two parties.

This time, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election. In addition, votes will be cast for 33 regular Senate seats, and special elections will be held for two more seats left vacant in Florida and Ohio.

The country has around 210 million registered voters. More than 55 million of them have already cast early ballots.

The result will determine how the remaining two years of President Donald Trump's term unfold. In particular, the Republicans face a major challenge in holding on to their majorities in both chambers of Congress.

Candidates of both parties spent the final stretch busy on the campaign trail. Trump held rallies in Iowa and Kansas, known as Republican strongholds, where he sharply criticised the Democrats and urged voters to back the Republicans.

Trump alleged that the Democrats want to loosen border security and allow huge numbers of would-be migrants to enter the United States. He also appealed to voters to keep Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress for the next two years.

Democratic candidates, meanwhile, campaigned across several states in the final hours to win over undecided voters. In Michigan's Senate race, discussion has centred on the Democratic candidate El-Sayed; at the last moment, Democratic lawmaker Haley Stevens endorsed the Republican candidate Mike Rogers. El-Sayed, however, said he is focusing on voters' cost of living and improving living standards.

Pre-election polls have shown the Democrats ahead in the race to take control of the House of Representatives. A majority in the House requires 218 seats, and the polls suggest the Democrats are leading in more seats than that threshold.

Competition between the two parties is also close in several key Senate seats. A New York Times poll showed a tight race in South Carolina's Senate contest, while CNN polling put the Democrats ahead in Texas, Kansas and Maine.

In past elections, however, opinion polls have differed from the actual results. Uncertainty therefore remains over what the final outcome will be.

Trump, meanwhile, has warned that if control of one or both chambers of Congress passes to the Democrats in the midterms, he will veto the bills they pass. In an interview on the New York Post's 'Pod Force One' podcast, he said that if the Republicans lose their majority, he will become 'Mr Veto'.

Trump said he would veto the bills the Democrats send him, and that at some point this would force the Democrats to sit down for talks and reach a compromise.