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US midterm counts start after 6 p.m. EST; Congress control may take days
BBC and Al Jazeera said U.S. midterm vote counts begin Tuesday after 6 p.m. EST poll closings, while media projections of House and Senate control could take hours or days.
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U.S. voters are casting ballots Tuesday in midterm elections that will decide all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats, BBC and Al Jazeera reported, with the first poll closings at 6 p.m. EST in parts of Kentucky and Indiana1,2.
Neither outlet said those earliest counts would settle control of Congress1,2. BBC said Kentucky and Indiana are viewed as safer for Republicans or, in Vermont later, Democrats1. Al Jazeera said officials release tallies as ballots are processed and that a reported count is not the same as a called winner2.
A House majority is 218 seats1. In the Senate, 51 seats give an outright majority; a 50-50 split would be decided by the vice president's vote1. Democrats are trying to take both chambers from President Donald Trump's Republican Party, Al Jazeera said2.
News organizations project winners from models before every ballot is counted, BBC said, when they judge a lead cannot be overtaken1. Al Jazeera said the Associated Press is among the outlets that analyze partial returns to call races2. Tight contests can take hours or days1,2.
BBC, citing Cook Political Report, listed seven Senate toss-ups: Alaska, Kansas, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas, six now held by Republicans1. It flagged Ohio polls closing at 7:30 p.m. EST and Maine, Michigan, Kansas and Texas at 8 p.m., with remaining Central Time precincts at 9 p.m. and Alaska at 1 a.m. EST1.
Al Jazeera published a fuller closing schedule from 6 p.m. EST through 1 a.m. in western Alaska2. It said Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin reported large shares of 2024 votes on election night, while Alaska, California, Arizona, Nevada, Maine and Washington can lag because of mail ballots, signature checks or ranked-choice rounds2.
In 2022, BBC said the House majority was not projected by CBS News until Nov. 17 and that Nevada's Senate count took four days1. Al Jazeera said it took eight days in 2024 to determine House control and that an Alaska ranked-choice runoff round, if needed, is set for Nov. 182.
Al Jazeera said a president cannot simply overturn congressional results; states certify elections and each chamber of Congress has the last word on seating its members2. What remains unknown is which races will be close enough to delay a majority call, and whether recounts or lawsuits will follow1,2.
The Guardian published a separate explainer on counting and race calls; its full article could not be retrieved for this filing3.
Sources
How it’s being reported
3 sourcesFirst reported by 
Al Jazeera
When will we know the US midterms results?
Senate toss-ups, 2022 timeline, and how media calls races before full counts
BBC said first results after 6 p.m. EST will come from safer races and that 2022 House control was not projected until Nov. 17. BBC News
Leaves out State-by-state poll-close schedule beyond battlegrounds
Al JazeeraFirstWhen will we know the US midterm election results?
Nationwide poll-close timetable and 2024 counting pace in several states
Al Jazeera explainer, with Associated Press reporting, listed poll-close times and states that typically report early or late.
Leaves out Cook Political Report Senate ratings named by BBC
Midterm elections 2026: how are votes counted and when will we know the results?
Treats the story as an open question.
Where they agree
- First poll closings are 6 p.m. EST in Kentucky and Indiana.
- Media outlets may project winners before full counts.
- Close races, mail ballots and some state rules can delay a majority call for days.
Where they differ
Which past midterm is the main delay comparison