US votes in midterms after 54 million early ballots; top court rejects bid to set aside California votes

Americans go to the polls on Tuesday, November 3, in midterm elections that will decide control of the US Congress for the second half of President Donald Trump's term. More than 54 million people had already voted before polling day, according to University of Florida data cited by US media, covering 48 states and Washington, DC.

Results will begin to come in from Tuesday evening US time, which is early Wednesday morning in India.

Last-minute court fight over California ballots

On Monday, the US Supreme Court turned down an emergency request from the Trump administration to make California set aside mail ballots cast by about 20,000 people that the federal government says are likely non-citizens. The court issued a short unsigned order without giving reasons, and no justice publicly recorded a dissent.

Lower courts had already refused the request. District Judge David Carter said the government's method for identifying alleged non-citizens was full of uncertainty and errors, and a divided Ninth Circuit appeals panel upheld his decision. California officials argued that the federal list contained mistakes and that setting the ballots aside could deny legal voters their say. Governor Gavin Newsom called the ruling a win for democracy. The administration had described its request as a modest step that would still allow lawful votes to be counted. More than 6 million mail ballots had been returned in the state, which has over 23 million registered voters.

What is at stake

Republicans currently hold 53 of the 100 Senate seats. In the House, they have 218 seats plus an independent who usually votes with them, against 214 for Democrats, with two seats vacant, according to CBS News. Democrats need only a small net gain to take the House, and historically the president's party tends to lose House seats in midterm elections.

CBS News has identified 11 Senate races as competitive, including Republican-held seats in Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Maine, Iowa and Kansas, and Democratic-held seats in Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire. Michigan drew attention after Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, who lost the party's Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers on Sunday. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called it a "despicable act", while Stevens said she still wants Democrats to win the Senate.

Trump wound up a run of rallies in Kansas on Sunday and gave a closing address at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on Monday, urging his supporters to vote as if he were on the ballot. Democrats have focused on living costs, healthcare and holding the administration to account.

Why it matters for India

Tariffs have been a campaign issue, with outgoing Republican Representative Don Bacon calling them unpopular in the Midwest. The balance of power in Congress will shape how much room the White House has on trade and immigration policy, both closely watched in India as New Delhi and Washington work on trade ties.