UP Midterm elections highlights: US heads to midterms with control of Congress at stake

Democrats narrowly control the House of Representatives - that's the chamber that decides which laws are voted on. A party needs 218 seats to hold the majority. The Democrats are defending 220 seats, and the Republicans 212.

So the Republicans need an overall gain of six seats to win the House.

Former US president Donald Trump, who lost Arizona in 2020, weighed in on the tabulation machine issues in Maricopa County. Posting on Truth Social Donald Trump, who has backed most of the Republican candidates in the fray, said that the voting machine problems were mostly affecting conservative or Republican areas as some voters around the county reported problems faced in voting.

Former US national security adviser John Bolton has said the mood among Democrats today is "pretty depressed". John Bolton said this "augurs well for Republican control of the House and quite likely the Senate as well".

"A lot of what happens in the next year and a half will be setting the table for the next election," he told Sky News.

As Americans are voting in the midterm elections, US president Joe Biden tweeted an encouragement for people to participate in elections.

“At the core of our democracy is a basic principle: the right to vote. With it, anything is possible. Vote today,” Joe Biden tweeted. 

The White House will be lit up with bright light until 2am which are usually turned off at around 10pm every night. The rules will be relaxed tonight to accommodate TV correspondents reporting on the midterm elections.

As US votes in the midterm elections, Democrats need at least 50 seats to keep control of the Senate with vice president Kamala Harris giving them the tie-breaking vote for a majority, while Republicans need 51 to gain control. Currently, the Democrats hold 48 seats but are joined by two Independents. 

Republicans need a single net gain to take control.

The Wall of Liars and Deniers- a successor to another wall of Donald Trump lies- shows every 'lie' told by the former US president. Artist Phil Buehler recently installed the wall which is centered around Donald Trump’s “big lie” that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Voting is currently underway in US midterm elections which do not get as much attention as the presidential election, but are a key to shaping the second half of a president's four-year term in office- this time Joe Biden. Truly Joe Biden’s presidential progress report, the elections are taking place midway through his time in office as Americans vote to say if they are happy with his leadership or not.

Here's HT's explainer on US midterm elections

The US midterm elections could see the Republicans take control of Congress from the Democrats as all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs, along with 35 Senate seats. 

The US Congress is made of two parts, the House of Representatives, which decides which laws are voted on, and the Senate, which can approve or block the laws, as well as confirm appointments made by the president.

The Republicans would need to pick up five seats in order to take a majority in the House and just one to control the Senate.

Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle shared a photo after voting in the midterm elections. Meghan Markle- who was born and raised in Los Angeles- is an American citizen while her husband Prince Harry is a British citizen. The couple live in California after they stepped down from their royal duties in 2020. 

The total cost of US midterm elections 2022 will exceed $16.7 billion, research organization OpenSecrets projects said. The group noted that spending on federal elections alone has already exceeded the 2018 midterm spending record of $7.1 billion and is on pace to spend $8.9 billion.

US president Joe Biden is not expected to make any public appearances today even though Donald Trump didn't shy away from the cameras earlier as he cast his vote in Florida, saying that he expected it to be a "big night".

Joe Biden's chief spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre, said the president would have a full schedule today including prepping for international summits and watching the results come in.

"We expect the president will address the elections the day afterwards," she said.

At a public school turned polling centre near the Capitol Hill in the US capital of Washington DC, Liam Gordon was distributing campaign material for Democratic candidates on the ballot on Tuesday morning. Read here

In the lead up to the race, Democrats framed the election as critical to safeguarding American democracy and personal freedoms, including abortion rights. Republicans, on the other hand, mobilised voters on issues such as inflation, immigration, crime, “parental control” on education. They also sought to leverage Biden’s unpopularity.

US president Joe Biden was asked whether his party would do well in the midterm elections currently underway. "Will the Democrats win the House?" Joe Biden was asked as he arrived back at the White House.

"I think it's going to be tough, but I think we can. I think we'll win the Senate. I think the House is tougher," Joe Biden said. Joe Biden's approval rating is the lowest of any president, sitting at 40%- lower than his recent predecessors.

US president Joe Biden's Democrat party controls the Congress but polls predict that Republicans could make sweeping gains in the midterm elections currently underway. There's already chatter about impeachment proceedings against Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris. Read more

Former US president Donald Trump case his vote as the midterm elections are underway. Donald Trump was seen in Palm Beach, Florida, alongside his wife Melania Trump. As he stopped to speak to the reporters, Donald Trump said that he expected a "very big night" for the Republicans and that it would be "very exciting to watch".

US is voting in key midterm elections that come in the middle of president Joe Biden's four-year term. The vote is a referendum on Joe Biden's term so far but it comes at a time when Joe Biden's approval rating is at a record low- a major concern for Democrats who are hoping to continue their control over the US Congress. 

Joe Biden's approval rating is the lowest of any president ahead of their first midterm elections, sitting at 40%. While almost all presidents before him have seen a loss of support within their first two years, his rating being lower than his recent predecessors shows a sense of dissatisfaction in Americans.

Here's what you need to know on US midterm elections:

What's at stake: The midterm elections will decide control of US Congress and dozens of statewide positions.

What the results mean for America: The elections are a referendum on US president Joe Biden as they come in the middle of his four-year term. 

As Americans vote in crucial midterm elections, US Ambassador to the UN reassured Ukrainians that American support won’t be eroded by midterm results. This comes as Republicans have shown that they may want to reduce aid given to Ukraine amid Russian invasion. Read more