When will we know the US midterm election results?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that the first returns from the US midterm elections are expected on Tuesday evening as the earliest polls close at 23:00 GMT, but final outcomes in closely fought races could take days or longer. The article says all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are on the ballot, with control of Congress at stake as Democrats try to win both chambers from President Donald Trump’s Republican Party.

According to the report, results will start coming in as polling places close across the country at different times, beginning on the East Coast and continuing late into the night on the West Coast and in Hawaii and Alaska. However, vote totals are released in stages, and news organizations decide when to call races based on those counts rather than on a complete tally.

The piece notes that some states are likely to finish quickly, including Florida and Ohio, while others may take longer because of mail voting, signature checks, or ranked-choice systems. It highlights Alaska, California, Arizona, Nevada, Maine and Washington as places where counting can stretch into later days. In some cases, such as Alaska, an additional ranked-choice round can push final determination even further out.

Al Jazeera adds that recounts and court challenges can delay final certification if races are very close. It also notes that Congress has the final authority over disputes involving its own members, and that in a tight year it may take several days to know which party will control the House and Senate.