435 House seats and 35 Senate seats on the ballot Tuesday
Nearly 60 million Americans have already voted, with federal monitors deploying to all 50 states for the first time.
By Luis Medina ·
435 U.S. House seats are on the ballot Tuesday, alongside 35 Senate seats and hundreds of local races across the country.
Americans cast their votes in a contest that will determine which party controls Congress. The outcome will shape President Donald Trump’s ability to advance his agenda over the next two years.
Voter participation began well before Election Day. Nearly 60 million Americans cast ballots early through in-person voting or by mail. That figure represents a portion of the roughly 250 million Americans eligible to vote, according to the Pew Research Center.
Early voting totals do not immediately reveal which party is gaining ground. Even in states that report party registration, those affiliations do not always match the candidates voters actually support.
The Justice Department is deploying approximately 1,000 election monitors and observers across all 50 states. This marks the first time the department’s monitoring effort reaches every state. Their work includes checking compliance with federal voting rights laws, including protections against voter intimidation and access requirements for voters with disabilities.
Once polls close, close contests and the time needed to count outstanding ballots could leave control of Congress unsettled beyond election night.
