Voting began across the United States on Tuesday in midterm elections that will decide the entire House of Representatives, 34 of the Senate's 100 seats and the governorships of 36 states, Hürriyet reported. Roughly 210 million voters in all 50 states are eligible to choose new members of Congress. According to Hürriyet, results are expected to be announced between 02:00 and 04:00 Turkish time.
Why it matters
The vote falls at the midpoint of President Donald Trump's second term and will determine which party controls the House and Senate for the rest of it. With Congress at stake, the outcome shapes what the president can legislate and how far his agenda can proceed. Hürriyet notes that control of Congress remains uncertain, which gives early-closing states particular weight: their results will offer the first concrete signals of how the night will unfold.
Trump speaks on Iran and Israel as polls stay open
As voting continued, Trump made a series of remarks about Iran and Israel that drew attention, according to Hürriyet. He said he does not intend to kill people in Iran but would do so if forced, and stated that the United States struck Iran the previous night. On Israel, he said Washington would stop paying money, that an agreement had been reached with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that a payment of four billion dollars had been suspended until the end of the year. He added that aid would be provided if requested, described the US as the senior partner and Israel as the junior one, and said that if Americans tired of him he would go to Israel and become prime minister, claiming 90 percent support there.
Ballot scanners fail in Westchester
In New York's Westchester County, officials reported problems with ballot scanners, Hürriyet reported. The county administration said the malfunction prevented machines at polling places from accepting paper ballots and affected sites across the district. In a statement on X, it sought to assure every voter that their ballot matters, that ballots would be kept secure and that all votes would be counted. The county said its board of elections was in constant contact with New York state officials to resolve the issue and urged voters to keep filling out paper ballots while following poll workers' instructions.
Early states and close races
According to BBC, voting also got under way in Florida, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Washington, D.C. Polls opened in New York, where Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul faces Republican Bruce Blakeman of Long Island in a closely contested race; city voters are also deciding proposals that could strengthen Mayor Zohran Mamdani's housing agenda. Polling places opened in Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, Hürriyet reported.
Three NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station — Anil Menon, Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney — cast electronic ballots sent to their home voting districts, Hürriyet reported.
Attention is focused on a handful of House districts. Trump carried Kentucky's Sixth District by 15 points in 2024, but forecasters now rate this year's race there as even; a win by Democrat Zach Dembo over Trump-backed Republican Dr. Ralph Alvarado could signal Democratic strength nationally. In Indiana's traditionally conservative Fifth District, Republican Representative Victoria Spartz, who won by about 19 points in 2024, is favored, though the margin has narrowed — a victory by Democratic state Senator J.D. Ford would suggest wider Democratic gains. Analysts say Republican redistricting has not prevented competitive contests in many of those districts, and Democratic wins in the Seventh, Ninth, 14th, 22nd or 25th districts could point to results elsewhere.
Republicans are favored in Florida's Senate and gubernatorial races, though Democrats have recently voiced optimism about the governor's race, where Democrat David Jolly is challenging Republican Representative Byron Donalds, according to the reporting. Shifts in Hispanic and Black voter behavior in South Florida are being watched for what they may indicate about Democratic performance in other states, such as James Talarico's Senate race in Texas.
What to watch: results from the earliest-closing states, which are expected to land in the early hours of Wednesday Turkish time.
