The outcome of the midterm elections being held in America will decide how the remaining period of Donald Trump's presidential term will be.
The elections will also decide which party will have control in the US Congress. Trump's Republican Party or the opposition Democratic Party.
It is possible that it may take several hours, days or even weeks for the final results to appear.
Know here, what you should know about -
When will the results come and who will control Congress?
There are two houses of the American Congress. The lower house is the House of Representatives and the upper house is the Senate.
To gain majority in the House of Representatives, a party has to win 218 seats. At the same time, 51 seats are required for a clear majority in the Senate.
However, if both parties have 50-50 seats in the Upper House, then the Vice President has the right to cast the deciding vote in case of a tie. This gives his party control over the Senate.
The initial results will not give a clear picture of the entire election, because they will come from those states where the victory of the Republican Party (Kentucky and Indiana) or the Democratic Party (Vermont) is considered almost certain.
BBC analysts are keeping an eye on those seats where there is tough competition. The results of these seats will show in which direction the elections are going for Trump.
There is tough competition on many Senate seats. The results of these seats can give initial indications as to which way the voters are inclined.
American media has released predictions of victory on some important seats. For this, they use such models, with the help of which it is estimated which party has won in a state even before the votes are completely counted.
This happens when media organizations feel that a party or candidate has achieved such a lead that it is not possible for any other candidate to overcome it.
However, in states where the contest is very close, it may take a long time for media organizations to release estimates of the results.
How long it will take for the complete results of the elections will depend on how tough the contest is and the results of which seats prove to be decisive.
How are votes counted?
It is the responsibility of the administration to conduct elections in every state of America. Every state has its own rules for counting and registering votes.
In some states, such as Florida, the processing of early and mail-in ballots begins well before Election Day. At the same time, some states start counting votes only on 3 November.
Local election officials verify, process, and count each vote. This entire process is called canvassing.
In most states it is necessary to conduct audit after elections. In this, the machine counting of votes is matched with the manual counting of ballots.
However, its rules are different in different states. Generally, complete counting is done by hand only when the need arises for recounting.
Every state and local administration has its own rules. These rules decide who can participate in the process of checking and counting of votes, in what order the votes will be counted and which parts of the process will be open to the general public.
These also include how representatives of political parties can monitor the count and, in some states, how to lodge formal objections.
What are the reasons for delay in results?
On seats where the competition is tough, it takes more time to get results. There may be a need for re-counting on such seats and legal challenges may also arise.
Counting mail-in ballots takes longer because election officials have to check the envelopes and match the signatures on them.
In more than 30 states of America, it is allowed to start the ballot process before the election day, but in some states this is not possible.
In California, all ballots must be mailed on or before Election Day. However, ballots arriving within seven days of the election will also be counted.
Due to ranked choice voting in Alaska, counting of votes may take much longer than in other states of the country. If there is a dispute regarding the ballot, legal challenges may also arise, which can further complicate the process.
What happens if the election results are challenged?
When all votes have been included in the final results and procedures such as recounts have been completed, the election results are officially certified. This process first happens at the local and county level and then is completed throughout the state.
After this, the state governor usually signs the certificates of winners of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which are sent to Congress.
The election results can be challenged. Candidates can demand recount on tightly contested seats. In some states, if the victory margin remains within the prescribed limit, then the recount starts automatically.
Candidates can also file a legal challenge alleging irregularities in the elections.
Congress takes the final decision in this matter. Losing candidates in both the House of Representatives and Senate elections can challenge the results. However, its process is slightly different in both the houses.
Theoretically, both Houses can refuse to accept a person as a member or order an investigation.
When were the election results in 2022?
Even on November 9, a day after the midterm elections in 2022, a tough contest was going on between the Republican and Democratic parties for control of the US Congress.
That year, the chances of the Republican Party winning the House of Representatives were high, but the race for control of the Senate was very close.
Then it took several days for the complete picture of the elections to become clear. CBS News estimated on November 17 that the Republican Party had won the 218 seats needed for a majority in the House of Representatives.
It took four days to complete the counting of votes in Nevada, an important Senate seat. After the minor victory of the Democratic Party in this state, it has 50 seats.
At that time, Vice President Kamala Harris had the right to cast the deciding vote in case of a tie. Because of this, the Democratic Party was successful in maintaining its control over the Senate.
Re-election had to be held for the Senate seat in Georgia because no candidate got more than 50 percent of the votes in November.
The results of this seat came on 7 December, when the Democratic Party won.
Which seats will be in focus in 2026?
Cook Political Report, an independent election analyst organization, has predicted a tough contest for six Senate seats.
These include Alaska, Kansas, Iowa, Maine, Ohio and Texas. All these six seats are currently controlled by the Republican Party. To gain control of the Senate with 51 seats, the Democratic Party will have to win three of these seats.
Apart from this, it will also have to win those five seats where the Democratic Party is considered more likely to win or where it has the upper hand.
According to opinion polls, the Democratic Party has a chance of winning in Texas. Former teacher James Talarico can defeat Ken Paxton here. Paxton is the current attorney general of the state and a close ally of Trump. If Talarico wins, he will become the first Democratic candidate to win a Senate seat from Texas since 1988.
The Democratic Party will also have to save its seat in Michigan. Here, Abdul Al-Sayed, a new face in the leftist political field, is facing Republican candidate Mike Rogers. Rogers is a Trump ally and former FBI agent. This seat is being closely monitored.
We used AI to translate this article, which was originally written in English. A BBC journalist checked this translation before publication. Learn more about how we're using AI.
