Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent in Washington DC

Now that we've had to a bit of time to chew over the first wave of information from the midterms voter poll, one thing jumps out.

This nationwide survey of actual voters has done a pretty good job so far of tracking what we have seen in the big public polls over the past few months.

The mood of the electorate is sour, particularly on the economy - and it's the issue that is at the top of voter minds.

Concerns about political corruption are also rank high. Donald Trump's job-performance rating - at 38% approval and 61% negative - is decidedly underwater.

If Democrats were afraid that recent polling suggesting they are poised for a good night was substantially off the mark, these findings might give them a bit of comfort - for now.

Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

Millions of Americans have already cast ballots in the US midterm elections, and many of them weren't alone.

From the east coast to the west, we've spotted a number of four-legged friends doing their bit for democracy.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The BBC has two trusted partners that provide results - the Associated Press (AP) news agency and our US news partner CBS.

When we bring you a result from CBS we call it a "projection". That's because CBS analyses incoming results data, and when they are confident that one candidate has an unbeatable lead in a particular race, they project the winner.

That projection is not the official result - but it nearly always proves to be correct when all votes are counted.

AP, on the other hand, has a unique role in US election. There is no nationwide government body responsible for collecting election results and releasing them to the public.

Since 1848, the AP has filled this gap by counting the vote and declaring winners in elections. It does so by bringing together information from many sources, including results on hundreds of local websites.

But the final result comes when states certify the results – often days or weeks after election day.

That's our first result of the night - and an expected outcome.

Polls have just closed in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and New Hampshire.

A little earlier, we saw polling stations close in Kentucky and Indiana.

Daniel Wainwright
Data journalist

We're continuing to bring you the results from a huge survey of the American electorate, that asks people for their opinions and top concerns about the country. Here's the latest finding:

About six in 10 people were confident that the midterms were being conducted fairly and accurately across the US, the voter poll suggests.

Among the more than 39,000 people surveyed, 19% were "very confident" and 40% "somewhat confident", while 27% replied they were "not too confident" and 13% "not at all confident".

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from Washington DC

At 19:00 EST (00:00 GMT), we'll see more polls close in places like Florida, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia.

Some of these are what we consider “safe” seats, meaning they should be quick, reliable wins for either the Democrats or the Republicans.

Competitive races may take longer to come in, but we’ll be watching them closely to gauge how the night is going.

These include:

• In Florida… The newly redrawn 14th and 25th Congressional districts, which could be consequential in determining who wins the House
• In South Carolina… There’s a close Senate contest between Senator Darline Graham and Democrat Annie Andrews. It's the seat left by Graham's brother, the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, and the party wants to keep it

The clues I'll be looking out for tonightpublished at 23:34 GMT 3 November

23:34 GMT 3 November

Daniel Bush
Washington correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

One of the defining features of the Trump era is the Republican Party's struggle with turnout when Donald Trump isn't on the ballot.

As election night is now truly under way, I'll be watching out to see how Republicans fare with some of the key voting blocs that Trump made gains with in 2024, including Latinos and women.

If Republicans can't hold the Trump coalition together, they'll likely suffer big losses on Tuesday - and that would be a warning sign going into 2028.

On the Democratic side, the reverse is true: if the party can win back its traditional share of the Latino vote while running up the numbers with women and college-educated voters, that would bode well for their chances in the next presidential election.

Political coalitions evolve over time, and there’s only so much we can read into the results and exit polls from a midterm election, when voter turnout is typically down.

But as the night goes on, I’ll be on the lookout for clues that can give us a sense of where both parties are headed over the next two years.

Sumi Somaskanda
Presenter, BBC News US Election special

There’s always a special energy on election night, and tonight’s no different. We’ve been checking in with our correspondents reporting from Alaska to Maine and from Moscow to Mexico.

We’ll be eagerly awaiting results for the seven close Senate races that could decide control of Congress. But election night also sees several states weigh in on ballot measures, or propositions. These are questions put before voters on local or statewide ballots.

There are two I’m watching tonight that will test voter appetite for curbing big money:

• In California, Proposition 40 would impose a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of all of California's billionaires. The measure has divided leaders across the political spectrum: its supporters say it helps ensure that the ultra-wealthy are contributing their fair share; opponents argue ultra-wealthy residents will flee
• In Montana, ballot initiative 194 would bar corporations from funding candidates, campaigns, and political action committees. If it passes, it could set up a clash in the courts, as the highest court of the land has held that money is a form of protected free speech in politics

You can watch our election results programme live above now, and on BBC One and the BBC News Channel.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Image source, Getty Images

A White House official tells the BBC that the mood at the White House is "cautiously optimistic".

"The President has left it all out on the field and he’s done everything that was needed. Republicans are in a better spot now than they were four weeks ago," the official says.

The official did not respond to a request for a list of tonight's guests at the results viewing party being held in the East Room at 19:00 EST (02:00 GMT).

The president, a short time ago, also posted on Truth Social saying that he plans to watch the results come in on TV.

Chris Jeavans
Data journalist

Almost two thirds (65%) of voters say President Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions in the US, according to the first wave of data from the midterms voter poll.

By contrast, 28% say Trump’s policies have improved conditions and only 8% say the president has had no impact.

People were also asked whether expressing support or opposition for President Trump was one reason for their midterm vote.

Some 43% said expressing opposition to the president was a reason for their vote, but a similar proportion (41%) said he was not a factor. Only 16% of those asked said expressing support was a reason for their vote.

The numbers from pollsters SSRS will be updated through the night so you might see these early figures change.

We also do not yet have a breakdown by those who said they were voting Republican and those who said they were voting Democrat.

Why counting ballots can take longer in some statespublished at 23:11 GMT 3 November

23:11 GMT 3 November

By Jake Horton, BBC Verify

US states have different rules when it comes to receiving and processing ballots - which means they count at different speeds.

Some of the factors which can affect this are the prevalence of mail-in voting and rules on processing and tabulating early ballots.

For example, most states allow election workers to remove ballots from their envelopes and confirm the voter’s eligibility before election day.

And nearly half of states - including Florida - allow election officials to scan ballots into tabulators ahead of election day so that these ballots can be counted immediately and included in results on election night.

But in some states - including Michigan and Wisconsin - election workers are prohibited from opening postal ballots ahead of election day.

This has led to claims in previous elections of "late night" arrivals of votes and "ballot dumps" in some parts of these states.

Some states accept mail-in ballots after election day which can delay vote totals.

Image source, Getty Images

Caitriona Perry
Presenter, BBC News US Election special

A very important question looms: what is the best snack to keep broadcasters going for eight straight hours of live television?

We've spent the last few days in the studio in Washington DC, rehearsing for our special TV results programme, which starts soon.

I'll be looking out for some of those early results in states where the polls are among the first to close - Ohio, Florida and North Carolina.

We may start to see early signs of a so-called "blue wave" for Democrats - and whether it's a trickle, a tsunami, or fails to materialise at all.

But for now, I'm cramming the last bits of candidate information and stocking up on almonds. (Editor's note: Fair play Caitriona, this is by far the healthiest snack in the newsroom)

• Watch our election results programme live above, and on BBC One and the BBC News Channel from 18:30 EST (23:30 GMT)

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from Washington DC

As we’ve just reported, the first polls have just closed and we could soon start to see some results.

Here’s how we expect that to play out:

• First, we’ll see results from places that are easy wins for either Democrats or Republicans. These are not hotly contested races
• Later in the night, we’ll start to get wind of how the closer races are unfolding. Think toss-up races where the candidates are neck-and-neck
• What we still don’t know is when the Senate and House of Representatives will officially be called. It could be later tonight, or it could take days

We will update you on the outcomes right here in our results banner above. And if you want to monitor the vote count in real time, check out our larger results tracking page here.

The first polls have just closed in Kentucky and Indiana.

In the coming hours, other states will follow suit and results will begin to come in.

As a reminder, you'll be able to track those results live here. You can see a summary at the top of this page.

Our reporters have been busy speaking to voters across the US throughout the day. They'll continue to track reactions as results come in, but let's take a look at what some of them have heard so far:

In Texas: Vivian, arriving in an orange Mustang, told Gary O'Donoghue she'd voted Republican down the ballot: "Taxes, taxes, taxes - that's my main thing right now."

In Iowa: Tim, a farmer who's leaning Democrat, explained to Samira Hussein that he's "not happy, point blank, with what's going on" and that the "farm economy" was influencing how he'd vote.

In Ohio: Marilyn, 80, told Tom Bateman that she'd voted Republican across the ballot because she thought the country would "go in the tank if Democrats get in".

In California: Actor Remigio Ortiz, 42, wanted to express his dissatisfaction with the Trump administration, telling David Willis that he thinks the "country’s trash right now, it’s embarrassing. We need change".

Chris Jeavans
Data journalist

Earlier we told you about what voters think of the national economy, according to the voter poll survey.

Pollsters also asked about inflation and the effect of rising prices on people’s lives.

Almost eight in 10 voters (79%) said inflation had caused them and their family a severe or moderate hardship in the past year.

A fifth (21%) of those answering said it had caused them no hardship at all.

A majority of voters (59%) said they were “very concerned” about the cost of petrol and diesel and a similar proportion (58%) gave this answer about the cost of food and groceries.

More than six in 10 respondents (62%) said they thought that higher than usual prices were more because of President Trump’s policies.

And 38% said it was more due to factors beyond his control.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from Washington DC

We're continuing to pick through the data from the national voter poll, and we'll bring you more of that in the next little bit.

But in just a few minutes, the first polls will close in the 2026 midterm elections and then the vote count will begin.

This means that it might not be too long until we know some of the winners.

We’ll bring you those results here on this page. Races will be projected by our partner CBS or officially called, which means there is enough data to conclude one candidate has gained an unbeatable lead.

But as we’ve been reporting, the big question of the night is going to be finding out which party will control Congress. We may not know the answer to that for some time.

The first results to come in will be in places that are safe wins for Democrats or Republicans.

The swing states and close races will take more time to call and will come in later tonight - or even days from now.

When we start to hear results from tight races - like Ohio and Michigan - we’ll know things are heating up.

You can follow along on our results page all night, with information right down to state- and county-level data.

Chris Jeavans
Data journalist

We're still picking through the poll of voters across the US which has been taking the mood of the electorate.

Almost four in ten of those asked (38%) said they were angry at the way things are going in the country today, with a further 37% saying they were dissatisfied.

Only 18% said they were satisfied, and 7% of respondents felt enthusiastic.

So taken together, that's a majority telling pollsters SSRS they are not happy about the current state of the United States.

Chris Jeavans
Data journalist

A majority of US voters in these midterm elections have a negative view of the state of the national economy, according to the large voter poll we’ve been telling you about.

Some 75% of those asked said the economy was in a "not so good or poor" state with 25% saying it was "excellent or good".

Looking at their own family finances, 44% of people said they were in a worse situation than two years ago, 38% said about the same and 18% said better.

This data comes from a survey that includes exit polling of both early and on-the-day voters in the US midterm elections.

As a reminder, these are early estimates and the data will be updated through the night.