U.S. midterm elections: high turnout as the first polls close at 6:00 p.m.

Washington.— Millions of Americans are heading to the polls on Tuesday in midterm elections that will decide control of the House of Representatives and the Senate and have become a referendum on President Donald Trump’s second term, although Trump himself is not on the ballot.

The first polls to close will do so at 6:00 p.m. Eastern in Indiana and Kentucky, according to USA TODAY’s live coverage. At 7:00 p.m., polls close in Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia; at 8:00 p.m., among others, in Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan and New Jersey; and at 9:00 p.m. in New York, Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The last votes will be cast in Alaska, where polls close at 1:00 a.m. Eastern.

Turnout is running high. In Florida, about 7.4 million people had already voted early or by mail before Election Day, and in Georgia early votes exceeded 2.8 million, according to local reports gathered in the live coverage. In California, early voting was also running ahead of the 2022 midterms.

Voting has not been free of isolated problems. Flooding in central Florida forced the relocation of at least 20 polling places in seven counties, according to state election officials. In Westchester County, New York, ballot-scanning machines malfunctioned because of a programming update; the State Board of Elections said the affected scanners rejected ballots they could not properly recognize rather than miscounting them, and Republican Rep. Mike Lawler said every ballot will be counted.

At stake is a House where Republicans hold a narrow 218-to-214 majority, with three vacant seats, as well as control of the Senate. The Cook Political Report rated 18 of the 435 House races as toss-ups, 14 of them in seats now held by Republicans, so early results from Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Kentucky will be watched as an early signal of the night.

In New York, polls opened at 6:00 a.m. and close at 9:00 p.m. Voters in line at closing time will be allowed to vote, and absentee ballots must be postmarked on Tuesday and received no later than November 10.

Photo: USA TODAY

Source: USA TODAY