Voting has begun in the US midterm elections

Voting has begun in the US in the midterm elections that will shape the legislative power of President Donald Trump's administration and the political balance in Congress.

In the USA today, elections are held for the entire 435-seat House of Representatives and 35 seats in the 100-seat Senate.

For the midterm elections in the country, voting started at 06.00 local time (14.00 Turkish lira) in the states of Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.

Voting will start at different times in other states of the USA due to the time difference.

Early voting started on September 18

Although today is the last day to vote in the USA, citizens have started to vote early in different states in the country since September 18.

Early voting first started on September 18 in the states of Virginia, Minnesota and South Dakota, and later early voting centers opened in other states.

It is estimated that the number of voters who have voted early has reached 50 million to date in the USA, where there are approximately 210 million registered voters.

First polls close in Indiana and Kentucky

The first polls in the midterm elections in the USA are expected to close at 18:00 local time (02:00 GMT) in the states of Indiana and Kentucky.

After Kentucky, each state will end voting at its own time. Due to the time difference, the last polls are expected to close in the state of Alaska on November 4, at 01:00 local time (09:00 GMT).

US midterm elections

The American people vote to determine all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate, as well as governorships and other local positions in their states.

In the US electoral system, all members of the 435-seat House of Representatives go to the polls every two years, once in the general election in which the US president is elected and the other in the midterm elections.

In the 100-member Senate wing of Congress, one-third of the senators are elected for a 6-year term and are renewed every two years.

Current situation in the congress

In the US, Republicans currently have 53 seats in the Senate and Democrats have 45 seats. Independents, who hold two seats, are aligned with Democrats on many issues.

In the House of Representatives, Republicans have 218 seats, Democrats have 214 seats, independents have 1 seat, and 2 seats are vacant.

The elections are expected to shape the political balance in Congress, which will affect the legislative power of the Trump administration in the United States.