Americans vote in US midterm elections as control of Congress hangs in the balance

Americans are voting on Tuesday in the US midterm elections, with control of the House and Senate at stake. Democrats are widely projected to retake the House, while the Senate remains uncertain. The outcome will shape President Donald Trump's ability to pass legislation and will be read as a verdict on his second term.

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The election comes after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop demanding that California election officials segregate ballots cast by people on lists of suspected noncitizens. US District Judge James Boasberg issued the ruling on Monday, one day before the vote. He found that the lists compiled by the administration were flawed and included many people who were wrongly listed as noncitizens.

The House and Senate are both closely contested, but the balance of expectations differs between the two chambers. Democrats need to gain three seats in the House and four in the Senate to take control from Republicans. That makes the lower chamber the likelier target for a shift in power, while the upper chamber remains harder to predict.

The result will determine how much room the president has to advance his agenda in Congress. The vote is also being watched for signs of how voters are responding to the political climate around Trump's second term. The live developments reported on election day include a high-profile Democratic defection in Michigan's Senate race, where Representative Haley Stevens backed Republican Mike Rogers instead of the Democratic candidate, Abdul Al-Sayed.

That move adds another layer of uncertainty to a race already shaped by a contested primary and a closely watched statewide contest. The legal dispute over ballot handling adds to the significance of the day. It reflects continuing tension over election administration and the use of federal lists to challenge voter eligibility.

The ruling also came after the Supreme Court rejected a push for California to set aside 20,000 mail ballots from people the administration claimed were noncitizens, underscoring how election-related litigation has remained active right up to polling day. What remains unclear is how the final balance of power will settle in both chambers and whether the expected Democratic gains in the House will be matched by any shift in the Senate. The Michigan race and the ballot dispute are among the developments to watch as counting continues.

The broader implications will depend on whether Republicans can hold either chamber and how quickly the results are accepted once the vote is complete.

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