A political twist in the US? The midterm elections are already underway

What are midterm elections in the US?

"Midterms", i.e. the so-called midterm elections are the traditional name of elections that take place in the USA in the middle of the term of office of the sitting president of the United States.

Tuesday, November 3 is the official election date, when Americans will elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 33 of 100 senators, the governors of 36 of 50 states, and a series of state referenda.

The elections will decide, among others: about the new balance of power in Congress, where Democrats are clear favorites to win the majority in the House of Representatives. They also have a slight advantage in the Senate polls, but here they have less chance of taking control of the chamber.

Americans are already voting

Early voting began in six more states on Monday. This means that more than half of Americans can now vote.

Polling places where ballots can be dropped off opened on Monday in Texas, South Carolina, Arkansas, Alaska, Colorado and Connecticut.

In Texas, where the most talked-about senatorial race is taking place this election cycle, early voting will last until October 30, and in South Carolina. - until October 31. Early voting in Connecticut and Arkansas will end in the following days - on November 1 and 2. In Alaska and Colorado, votes can be cast using this method until Election Day, November 3.

In many other states, voting by mail or at polling places is already underway. In some, like Virginia, it started at the end of September.

Data collected by NBC News shows that approximately 10 million voters have already cast their votes. In many key states, including Georgia, Maine and Iowa, the number of votes cast is significantly higher than in the same period two years ago.

Support for Donald Trump is getting lower

Two weeks before the Congressional elections, only 31 percent Americans have a positive opinion about Donald Trump's activities as president, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. This is a decrease of 1 percentage point compared to the survey conducted by this pollster two weeks ago and the lowest result in both of his presidential terms.

47 percent respondents indicated that if the elections were held today, they would vote for Democrats, while 35 percent - on the Republicans. This is the largest advantage of Democrats over Republicans in the current election cycle, Reuters emphasized.

The above data are the results of a generic ballot survey, i.e. a nationwide survey that shows which party respondents would like to see in power in Congress. This type of survey gives a general picture of the public mood in the country, but does not take into account all the nuances of competition in individual states and electoral districts that determine the balance of power in the Senate and House of Representatives. Republicans have a certain advantage in some of them, resulting from the structure of the electoral system.

The economy is in the foreground

As much as 68 percent Americans have a negative opinion of Trump's handling of the economy. This group includes 37 percent. people identifying as republicans.

When asked which party would be better at managing the economy, 40 percent respondents chose Democrats, and 33 percent Republicans.

The study lasted four days and was conducted online. 1,679 American adults participated, including 1,279 registered voters. The margin of error is 2 percentage points for overall respondents and 3 percentage points for registered voters.