From Georgia to Texas and Alaska: the key hours of the midterms to know who will control the U.S. Congress

The United States midterm elections enter their decisive phase with the closing of the first polling places in Indiana and Kentucky, at midnight in peninsular Spain. From that moment on, the count will move forward across the various U.S. time zones until it reaches the Pacific coast and Alaska, in an early morning in which Republicans and Democrats are fighting for control of the two chambers of Congress.

The big question is how much power Donald Trump will manage to keep during the last two years of his presidency. The Republicans go to the polls with a majority in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, while the Democrats need to win new seats to regain legislative and oversight capacity over the White House.

Although the first results will make it possible to identify trends, the final distribution of power may take longer to become known. The tightest districts, the vote by mail, and the particularities of the count in some states will prevent interpreting the night as an automatic succession of winners.

The chronology of U.S. elections, hour by hour

All times correspond to the early hours of Wednesday, November 4, in peninsular Spain.

From midnight to 01.30: Indiana, Kentucky, and the first major battles

00.00 hours | Indiana and Kentucky

The first ballot boxes close in part of Indiana and Kentucky. These territories make it possible to observe how the Republican vote behaves in areas traditionally favorable to Trump’s party and whether the Democrats manage to improve their results in certain districts.

However, the first data must be interpreted with caution: the order in which votes are counted can temporarily change the differences between candidates.

01:00 hours | Georgia and Virginia

Georgia opens one of the major overnight contests. Democratic senator Jon Ossoff tries to keep his seat against the Republican Mike Collins, in an election relevant to the Senate’s arithmetic.

The state governorship is also decided, with Keisha Lance Bottoms and Rick Jackson as the main contenders. In Virginia, attention is directed especially to the competitive districts of the House of Representatives, whose performance will help measure the extent of the vote changes.

01:30 hours | North Carolina and Ohio

Two of the most watched elections for the Senate reach their first turning point.

In North Carolina, former Democratic governor Roy Cooper faces Republican Michael Whatley for a seat the Democrats are aiming to win.

In Ohio, Sherrod Brown tries to return to the Upper House against Republican Jon Husted. The result could have special importance if other Senate elections end with narrow margins.

From 02:00 to 04:00: Maine, Texas and Míchigan concentrate attention

02:00 hours | Maine and Pennsylvania

In Maine, Republican Susan Collins defends her seat against Democrat Troy Jackson. The election is of particular interest to the Democrats because they need to win seats currently held by Republicans in order to reach the majority.

Pennsylvania does not elect a senator this year, but its House of Representatives districts can contribute to deciding who controls the institution.

02:00–03:00 hours | Texas, Míchigan and Kansas

Texas takes center stage with the dispute between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton. Most of the state’s precincts close at 02:00, although some areas remain open until 03:00, Spanish time.

Míchigan faces Democrat Abdul El-Sayed against Republican Mike Rogers. Unlike Texas, here the Democrats need to defend a seat of their own to prevent the number of victories required in other states from increasing.

In Kansas, the Republican senator Roger Marshall is facing the Democrat Adam Hamilton. A shift in this state would have relevant consequences for the distribution of seats in the Senate.

04.00 hours | Iowa and Nevada

In Iowa, voting in a Senate race between the Republican Ashley Hinson and the Democrat Josh Turek concludes.

Nevada, for its part, focuses part of the attention on the governorship and on elections to the House of Representatives.

By this point, the results already available will allow a better assessment of the behavior of the two parties, although there may still be numerous constituencies with no declared winner.

From 05.00 to 07.00: California, the West Coast and Alaska

05.00 hours | California and Washington

The West Coast enters the counting phase with numerous House of Representatives constituencies pending adjudication.

California will be especially important for determining the composition of the Lower House. However, its vote-by-mail system may extend the scrutiny of the tightest districts for several days.

06.00–07.00 hours | Alaska

Alaska closes out election night with the Senate dispute between the Republican Dan Sullivan and the Democrat Mary Peltola.

Most of the state finishes voting at 06.00, Spanish peninsula time, while the last polling stations in the Aleutian Islands close at 07.00.

Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system. If no candidate reaches the necessary majority of first preferences, the redistribution of votes can delay the resolution of the contest.

When it will be known who has won the Congress

To control the House of Representatives, a party needs to reach 218 seats if all 435 seats are covered. In the Senate, the Democrats’ working majority requires reaching 51 senators in their bloc, given that a tie at 50 would allow the Republican vice president JD Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote.

The first winners may be known shortly after the polls close, but big chains and news agencies do not necessarily have to announce the winner of an election at the same time.

Associated Press, CNN, and other media have specialized teams that analyze the counting, outstanding votes, and chances of a comeback before projecting a result.

A journalistic projection does not equal the official certification of the elections. In the tightest races, the outcome may take longer than the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The election night, therefore, will not necessarily have a single decisive hour. Georgia and the first competitive states will provide the initial signals; Texas, Michigan, and other senatorial contests will help clarify the fight for the House; and the West Coast districts may prove fundamental to completing the map of the House of Representatives.