On Tuesday, the United States will elect a new Congress at the Midterms. The first results are already expected during the night. However, it could take until January before the final distribution of seats in the Senate is known.
The counting of the votes cast in the US midterm elections can take days – and it may not even be known until January which party will have a majority in the Senate in the future. Technical difficulties, a lack of poll workers and very tight decisions have in the past ensured that no clear trend was discernible on election night. In some cases, the winner could only be declared with a considerable delay.
First results probably at 2 a.m. German time
The first polling stations in parts of Kentucky and Indiana close on Wednesday night at midnight German time. At 1 a.m. the count begins in five states with elections for a US senator post, including the probably particularly close decision in Georgia. As of 2:00 a.m. German time, the “270towin” page lists ten Senate decisions (including Pennsylvania), twelve governor’s and 161 House decisions.
At 3 a.m. another series of important counts follows, including Arizona, followed by Nevada an hour later. The polling stations in the Democrat stronghold of California close at five o’clock. If victorious senators were proclaimed early on in the four states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada, that would be a very positive signal for the respective party.
Midterms: Georgia count could drag into next year
There is one special feature in Georgia: If none of the candidates gets more than 50 percent of the votes, a runoff election is scheduled for January. Given the very narrow majority in the Senate, according to polls, that cannot be ruled out this time.
Statutory recounts due to particularly tight decisions or court proceedings on alleged or actual irregularities could also ensure that the final results are not known for a long time.
Each state also has different rules for when absentee ballots may be counted. The Democrats are usually stronger here, which is why there can be delays during the count if votes cast on election day are counted first and only then those received by mail.
In the last “midterms” in 2018, however, the situation was quite clear. At that time, shortly after 4 a.m. German time, US broadcasters announced a majority for the Democrats in the House of Representatives.
Source: Stern
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