Americans vote as control of Congress hangs in balance

Americans began voting Tuesday in midterm elections that will decide control of Congress, with all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships on the ballot. More than 59 million people had already voted early, according to the University of Florida Voting Lab, as cited by CBS News. Al Jazeera reported a lower early-vote figure of more than 57 million.

Republicans enter Election Day with 53 seats in the 100-member Senate, against 47 held by Democrats and independents who caucus with them, and a four-seat House majority, according to Al Jazeera. CBS News identified 11 battleground Senate races — in Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, Texas and Alaska — and 49 competitive House districts.

Al Jazeera reported that Democrats have campaigned on the cost of living and ending President Donald Trump’s war on Iran. Republicans are counting on loyal voters and distrust of progressive politics to counter expected Democratic gains, the outlet reported. Candidates made their closing pitches Monday night, while Trump spoke at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. An administration official told CBS News he would watch the results from the White House.

Voting began with a scanner problem in New York’s Westchester County, where officials said machines at most polling sites were not accepting ballots. The county told voters to fill out paper ballots for secure collection while the problem was addressed. “Every eligible vote will be counted,” its Board of Legislators said.

Parts of the county lie in the closely contested 17th Congressional District, where Republican incumbent Mike Lawler faces Democrat Cait Conley. Both urged voters to remain in line and cast ballots. New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office was monitoring the issue and working with election officials. “Your votes will count,” she told voters.

Flooded roads also prompted the relocation of some polling places in Florida’s St. Lucie County, CBS News reported. Election officials said they would continue checking whether sites were accessible as more rain was forecast through Wednesday. The National Weather Service described rainfall in parts of Florida as a “1,000-year” event, meaning an event of that magnitude has a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year.

In Michigan, 32.9% of active registered voters had cast ballots by 7 a.m., according to state data cited by CBS News. That included 750,469 early in-person voters. Michigan voters are choosing between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers for an open Senate seat, and between Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican John James for governor. Al Jazeera reported that Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic Senate primary, endorsed Rogers on Sunday.

The Justice Department said it would deploy about 1,000 election monitors and observers across all 50 states for the first time to check compliance with federal voting-rights laws, according to CBS News. Close contests could take longer to call, and the outcome of congressional control may not be clear Tuesday night. “If we do, then there’s a very big wave going on,” election expert David Becker told CBS News.