US midterm elections 2026 LIVE: Democrats, Republicans see close contest; Justice dept intervenes in mail-in ballot case | Hindustan Times
US midterm election 2026 LIVE: Democrats and Republicans are locked in a close contest as each works to secure the majority in the US Senate and House races. Meanwhile, the Justice Department has broken tradition to intervene in the midterm elections regarding mail-in ballots from non-US citizens.
US midterm elections 2026 LIVE: The United States is all set for its midterm elections on November 3. The midterms will determine who controls the US Congress.The outcome of the midterms will decide which political party - Trump's Republicans or opposition Democrats - controls Congress and how easy it is for the president to carry out his plans.In the US House of Representatives, all 435 seats will be up for grab and 35 seats out of 100 are being contested in the Senate.Of the 35 seats up for grabs in the Senate, the Democrats currently hold 13 and Republicans are leading with 22. In order to take control of the chamber, the Democrats need a total of 51 seats in the Senate.Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, the Republican Party won a majority of the seats in 2024. The Republicans secured 220 seats, while Democrats secured 215 seats. 218 seats are needed to secure a majority.Voting across all 50 states will be held on November 3 across various time zones. Polls will open between 6am and 8am local time on Tuesday. The closing for the polls will also differ based on the state and time zone.The first polls close at 6pm Eastern Time (ET) in parts of Indiana and Kentucky. Polls in Virginia and several other states close at 7pm ET, while North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia close at 7:30pm ET.Polls in California, Oregon and Washington close at 11pm ET. Nevada polls close at 10pm ET. In Alaska, most polls will close at midnight ET on Wednesday, November 4, while polling places in parts of the Aleutian Islands close at 1am ET.Key issue ahead of midtermsApart from the ongoing war between the United States and Iran, the state of the US economy remains a key issue for voters ahead of the midterm elections.Immigration is another key issue with Republicans saying Trump has delivered on a major campaign pledge in 2024 by tightening the border and launching a widespread crackdown on illegal immigration.Concerns over AI, inflation and Trump's trade tariff policies are also among key issues.
