The key facts

  • By 8 pm Eastern Time, polling stations had closed in 20 more states and the District of Columbia
  • All 435 House seats, 35 senators and governors in 36 states are up for election
  • Republicans control both chambers of Congress; Democrats aim to take at least one

Main wave of polling station closures completed

On Tuesday evening, polling stations closed in 20 more US states, as vote counting continues in the midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress. According to the Anadolu Agency, by 8 pm Eastern Time (01:00 GMT on Wednesday) voting had ended in Alabama, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maine, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey and a number of other states, as well as in the District of Columbia. In most areas of Michigan and Texas, polling stations also closed, although voting continued for another hour in the western parts of those states.

What Americans are voting for

In these elections, citizens are choosing all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 35 senators, governors in 36 states, as well as state and local officials. Before Election Day, Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress, while Democrats sought to win a majority in at least one of them and limit President Donald Trump's ability to advance his legislative agenda.

States that closed earlier and what comes next

The current wave of closures followed earlier ones in Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio and other states. Election commissions are already reporting the first results, but, as Anadolu notes, in cases with narrow margins the final outcome may take longer to determine. The next wave of polling station closures is scheduled for 9 pm Eastern Time: it will affect New York, Wisconsin, Arizona and the remaining parts of Michigan and Texas.