Millions of Americans are voting in midterm elections that will determine whether President Donald Trump’s Republicans or the opposition Democrats control Congress.
Some results could emerge within hours of polls closing, but control of the House of Representatives and Senate may remain uncertain for days or longer if key races are close, BBC reported.
What is needed for a majority?
A party needs 218 seats to control the 435-member House and 51 seats for an outright majority in the 100-member Senate.
If the Senate is split 50-50, the vice president can cast a tie-breaking vote, effectively giving their party control of the chamber.
When will results start coming in?
The first results are expected after polls begin closing at 6:00 pm Eastern Time (23:00 GMT). Early counts from reliably Republican or Democratic areas may offer limited insight into the overall outcome.
Attention will then turn to competitive races, including Senate contests in Ohio, where polls close at 7:30 pm Eastern Time, and Maine, where they close at 8:00 pm.
US media outlets may project winners before all votes are counted if they determine that a candidate’s lead cannot be overcome. Close races can take longer to call, and the timing of the overall result will depend on which contests prove decisive.
How long did it take in 2022?
Control of Congress remained uncertain the day after the 2022 midterms, and the full picture took several days to emerge.
Democrats retained the Senate after a narrow victory in Nevada, where counting took four days. The result brought them to 50 seats, with then vice president Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote.
Democrats later won a Senate runoff in Georgia, after no candidate secured more than 50 percent of the vote in November.
Republicans eventually secured a narrow House majority. CBS News projected on November 17 that they had won the 218 seats needed for control.
