Voters in all 50 states cast ballots in person on Tuesday in midterm elections that will settle which party holds the US House of Representatives and the Senate, according to Hindustan Times. President Donald Trump intends to follow the returns from the East Wing of the White House starting around 6 p.m. ET, joined by a small group of allies, CNN reported and Hindustan Times cited.
Democrats would need to gain four Senate seats and three House seats to take both chambers away from Republicans, Hindustan Times reports.
Why it matters
Winning Congress would give Democrats the means to push back on Trump's agenda through the last two years of his term, according to Hindustan Times. The president himself has framed the stakes bluntly. Hindustan Times reports that Trump said earlier he would "veto everything" if Democrats retook power on Capitol Hill.
The president also acknowledged the historical pattern working against his party. Speaking at the Reflecting Pool as he closed the campaign, Trump held up photographs highlighting his administration's renovation work and said that for some reason the sitting president does not win midterms, adding that his side had given it a strong effort, according to Hindustan Times.
The map and the math
All 435 House seats are on the ballot, along with 35 of the Senate's 100 seats. Of those 35, Democrats currently hold 13 and Republicans 22, Hindustan Times reports. Democrats need 51 Senate seats for a majority. In the House, Republicans took 220 seats in 2024 against 215 for Democrats, and 218 seats are needed for control.
Much of the contest is playing out in states and districts Trump carried by large margins in the past, according to Hindustan Times. The Senate races drawing the most attention are in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas, while House battlegrounds are scattered nationwide.
Polling averages in several key states favor Democratic candidates, according to statistician Nate Silver and the FLIPR 2026 midterm forecast cited by Hindustan Times. Those states include Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Maine and Iowa.
A legal loss before the vote, and a ballot-machine failure
The Supreme Court on Monday turned down an emergency appeal from the Justice Department, declining to temporarily stop California from counting mail-in ballots from roughly 20,000 people federal officials suspected might not be US citizens, Hindustan Times reports. The decision marked a setback for the president on the eve of voting.
In New York's Westchester County, a failure in the machines used to scan and cast ballots affected more than 250,000 ballots, according to Hindustan Times. County election officials said replacement machines had been installed. The equipment malfunctioned early in the day and remained out of service until a few hours before polls were due to close. Trump and his allies accused Democrats of stealing the election there, Hindustan Times reports.
Questions about federal agents at polling sites also drew official responses. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Fox News that ICE agents would "absolutely not" intimidate voters, according to Hindustan Times. The Justice Department barred ICE and FBI personnel from acting as election observers and said observers would carry out no law enforcement duties at polling places.
Extended hours and votes from orbit
North Carolina's State Board of Elections voted Monday to keep two precincts, Columbus and Lenoir, open past 7:30 p.m. ET after voting there began about an hour late, at 7:27 a.m. instead of 6:30 a.m., Hindustan Times reports. The board's action means results from South Carolina will not arrive until 8:15 p.m. ET, according to the outlet.
In Chester County, Pennsylvania, officials added 30 minutes at three precincts, Hindustan Times reports. Easttown Township, St. John's Presbyterian Church and Goshen Baptist Church will stay open until 8:30 p.m. ET, and anyone arriving after the usual 8 p.m. close will vote by provisional ballot. The state says provisional ballots are used when officials need more time to confirm a voter's eligibility.
Three NASA astronauts cast ballots from the International Space Station. Anil Menon said on X that he, Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney voted using a computer, according to Hindustan Times. All three are registered voters in Harris County, Texas, home to NASA's Johnson Space Center and Mission Control.
The issues driving the vote
Beyond the ongoing war between the United States and Iran, the economy is a central concern for voters, Hindustan Times reports. Immigration ranks high as well: Republicans argue Trump delivered on a 2024 campaign promise by tightening the border and launching a broad crackdown on illegal immigration. Anxiety about artificial intelligence, inflation and the president's tariff policies also feature among voter priorities, according to the outlet.
Separately, key figures in Trump's political operation, including his MAGA PAC, set up war rooms on the White House campus to track results, Hindustan Times reports.
What to watch: returns begin flowing after 6 p.m. ET, with Senate contests in seven states and a national spread of House races deciding whether Democrats can flip one chamber or both.
