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🔴 Midterms live: Voting under way to determine control of Congress and the future of Trump’s agenda
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
New election-day reports highlight voters’ concern over the cost of living and the Iran war, alongside a ballot shortage that briefly halted voting at one Kansas polling place. The midterms are widely seen as a test of President Donald Trump’s agenda, with control of Congress at stake.
Democrats are projected to gain the three seats needed to retake the House, while control of the Senate remains uncertain. In Leavenworth County, officials said a clerical error sent about 100 paper ballots instead of 1,000, making voting unavailable for just over an hour. The live coverage also reported that astronaut Anil Menon and two crewmates cast electronic ballots from the International Space Station.
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In short
- Democrats are projected to retake the House.
- Senate control remains uncertain.
- Cost of living and the Iran war feature in voters’ concerns.
How this story developed
- 21 minutes ago New election-day reports highlight voters’ concern over the cost of living and the Iran war, alongside a ballot shortage that briefly halted voting at one Kansas polling place.
- 1 hour ago Americans are voting in the 3 November midterm elections, with control of both chambers of Congress at stake. Republicans enter election day holding narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Full account
Americans went to the polls on Tuesday in midterm elections that will decide control of Congress and test support for President Donald Trump’s second-term programme. France 24’s live coverage described the contest as a referendum on the president. It reported that Democrats were projected to gain the three seats required to take the House, while the Senate outcome remained much less predictable.
The New Hampshire report focused on the campaign’s local and personal stakes, especially among young people who could not yet vote. At the University of New Hampshire, student groups offered rides to polling places; one also handed out doughnuts to encourage turnout. Two 16-year-old volunteers said they were concerned about legislation affecting transgender young people and about the political climate at their diverse school. They described disputes among pupils, including fights after conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death and a classmate’s threat to call immigration authorities on another student.
The report also described a visible presence by Turning Point USA, which provided sandwiches and rides and urged voters to choose Republican candidates. Its activity came amid a closely watched contest for New Hampshire’s open Senate seat between Republican John Sununu and Democrat Chris Pappas. The account noted that some older voters were taken to a polling place in Manchester by the group.
France 24’s liveblog ranged more widely across national election developments and campaign issues. Its updates included possible extensions to voting hours at some North Carolina polling places because of technical problems, concerns voiced by some voters about socialism, and opposition to data-centre construction in Georgia, where environmental impacts, utility costs and business interests have become points of dispute. Together, the reports show an election framed both around the balance of power in Washington and around specific concerns shaping turnout and political engagement in local communities.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
France 24 emphasised the national consequences of the vote, projected House gains for Democrats and the uncertain Senate race, while the New Hampshire report offered a ground-level account of student mobilisation and the campaign presence of rival organisations.
The New Hampshire report foregrounded worries about transgender rights, school tensions and immigration enforcement, alongside practical efforts to get voters to the polls. France 24’s updates covered a broader range of topics, including election administration, political rhetoric and opposition to data centres.
The supplied France 24 extract contains only part of its liveblog, so its coverage cannot be fully compared with the more detailed New Hampshire account.
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Explained simply
The US Congress has two chambers: the House of Representatives, where seats are allocated by population, and the Senate, where each state elects two senators. Midterm elections take place halfway through a president’s four-year term, with all House seats and roughly a third of Senate seats contested.
President Donald Trump’s party currently holds Congress, which helps determine whether his proposals can become law and how closely his administration is scrutinised. Voters choose candidates in local contests, while their combined results decide which party controls each chamber and how much influence it has over national policy.
Coverage · 3 sources
Bias meters
From 2 rated sources, 1 unrated.
- France 24🔴 Midterms live: Voting under way to determine control of Congress and the future of Trump’s agenda
- The GuardianLeftUS midterm elections 2026 live: Americans go to the polls to decide control of Congress
- The HillRightLive updates: America heads to the polls as Trump fights to protect his agenda
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