All 435 House of Representatives seats and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats are up for grabs. Voters in 36 states will also elect governors.
Polls open: Voters in several US states are starting to cast their ballots, joining millions who did so before Election Day. Early voting data, from before today, offered a glimpse into who turned out compared with previous cycles. The first polls are due to close at 6 p.m ET.
High stakes: Democrats, who need to win three seats to capture the House and four seats to win the Senate, enter Election Day with a 9-point advantage in the generic congressional ballot, according to CNN’s Poll of Polls. The GOP’s restricting strategy will be put to the test and the party is defending Senate seats in firmly red states.
On the ground: The Justice Department says around 1,000 election monitors have been deployed to all 50 states, as a sweeping emergency order halting many of the DOJ’s aggressive actions toward election officials remains standing after it was revived in an appeals court.
Voters in several US states, including New York, Georgia and South Carolina, have been casting their ballots this morning, joining millions who did so before Election Day.
The first polls are due to close at 6 p.m ET.
Georgians hit the polls early Tuesday morning to cast their ballots.
CNN’s Ryan Young spoke to some voters in Dunwoody, Georgia about why it was important to them to get out and vote. As many as 11 key Senate races identified by CNN that are on the ballot in November will likely determine which party controls the chamber. Democrats need 51 seats to win majority control of the Senate. Republicans need 50 seats because Vice President JD Vance has the power to cast a tie-breaking vote for the GOP.
Each party has multiple paths to Senate control. Use this interactive map to see how different hypothetical results would tip the balance. The key races, highlighted in yellow, are those most likely to be in play as polls close on election night. Other races in states with more predictable partisan outcomes are shaded by their current senator’s party.
Polling sites across Westchester County, New York, are experiencing “issues,” the state’s attorney general has said.
“My office is monitoring this issue with scanners in Westchester and is in touch with the state and local Boards of Elections as they work on a solution,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a post on X.
“Westchester voters can still safely fill out and turn in their ballots at their polling locations. Your votes will count.”
For now, voters in the county just north of New York City are being told to fill out ballots that are then put in emergency orange bags to be counted later in the day, a County Board of Elections spokesperson said.
“No machines are accepting ballots at this time is what we’ve been told,” said a spokesperson for Rep. Mike Lawler, a vulnerable Republican running in the district that includes Westchester County.
The issue is “county wide,” the spokesperson said, adding it is not clear if polling locations are having issues with machines or with printing individual ballots.
“There are technical issues with ballot scanners in Westchester, but don’t worry: you can still vote and every vote is being counted!” said Cait Conley, the Democrat trying to unseat Lawler.
“The issue is being worked on diligently by the Board of Elections in a bipartisan manner,” Conley said on Facebook. “The Polls are open and operational, and every vote cast will be counted. Please stay in line and have your voice heard as they work to resolve the issue.”
Lawler also urged voters to stay at polling sites.
“(E)very very ballot will be counted,” he said in a post on X. “Stay on line and vote. Do not leave the polling place without voting.”
In-person voting should now be open in at least 27 states, with many more polls set to open in the coming hours, until 12 p.m ET.
As Americans get out to vote, here are some of the latest developments:
- Around 1,000 election monitors have been deployed to all 50 states, according to the Justice Department. It shared a list of 126 counties across the country to which federal election monitors have been sent.
- A sweeping emergency order halting many of the aggressive actions the Justice Department has taken towards election officials remains standing after late-night drama at an appeals court.
- As polls prepare to open in the central US, rain is spreading through the region from the same storm that caused historic, deadly flooding in the Southwest over the past few days.
- Meanwhile, 19 Florida polling locations have been moved due to dangerous flooding just 45 minutes before they were supposed to open, the secretary of state’s office said.
- A federal district judge has halted efforts by the Justice and Homeland Security departments to send election officials lists of alleged noncitizen voters.
- Source: CNN
