Mid-term elections in the United States in 2018: Democrats are getting closer to the control of the House; Republicans ready to stay in the Senate

The last

• The Democrats won at least eleven Republican-occupied seats as they were preparing to take control of the US House of Representatives on Tuesday, but had to face a difficult climb to wrest a majority of the party from the United States. US President Donald Trump in the US Senate.
• In major races, Democrats won seats in the House when Mikie Sherrill, Sharice Davids, Donna Shalala and Jennifer Wexton overthrew the GOP districts on their behalf.
• Polling stations were still open in some states on the west coast of the country, as well as in Alaska and Hawaii.
• Reports of long queues and faulty machines tainted the early hours in Georgia, where some voters said they waited until three hours to vote. New York City Council President Corey Johnson calls for the resignation of the city's election board director, as machines for digitizing defective ballots and waiting lines of several hours have been reported in some polling stations. Johnson said in a Tweet that "voting should not be so difficult".
• US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said there is currently no indication of cybercriminals. However, the US government has received reports of limited "false news" targeting US voters on social media, an official at the Homeland Security Department said. The government is working with law enforcement and social media companies to respond to these publications but has not yet determined who is behind them, the official said.
• To understand why medium-term courses matter, what the issues are, and what the goals might be, read The Globe's explanator here.

Notable results

Democrats: Democrats should take control of the House, with a net gain of 11 seats.

Women were a dominant force for Democrats because they helped reverse a number of key districts controlled by the GOP. Democrat Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, overthrew New Jersey's 11th district, a long-time Republican seat, in a win against Jay Webber, backed by Trump. In Kansas, Democrat Sharice Davids won the 3rd district, beating outgoing Republican Kevin Yoder. Mrs. Davids, a Native American and a mixed martial arts fighter, takes over in a district that voted shortly for Hillary Clinton in 2016 (47% to 46%).

Former US Cabinet Secretary Donna Shalala won the House of Representatives election in Florida, which she joined in the Democratic Party for the first time in decades. Ms. Shalala on Tuesday beat former Republican television reporter Maria Elvira Salazar in the 27th district of the Miami area. This is the first incursion into the elective politics of Shalala, 77, who was Secretary of Health and Social Services President Bill Clinton during the 1990s.

Jennifer Wexton also beat Republican Barbara Comstock in the 10th district of Virginia.

republicans: The Republicans had to maintain the position of the US Senate. Republican businessman Mike Braun on Tuesday won the US Senate elections in Indiana, beating Democratic incumbent Joe Donnelly, while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz retained his seat after a high-profile battle with the MP Democrat Beto O'Rourke.

Republican Kevin Cramer, a Democratic senator, Heidi Heitkamp, ​​who has been sitting in North Dakota in the upper house since 2013.

In Kentucky, incumbent Republican Andy Barr defeated Democrat Amy McGrath, considered one of the Democrat's main opponents, giving his party the hope of limiting losses in the race for control of the House.

Voting initiatives: Florida voted to restore the voting rights of sentenced criminals who have served their sentences. The amendment to the state constitution will allow more than one million ex-criminals to vote, but those convicted of murder or badual offenses will not be included. According to the Sentencing Project, a criminal justice advocacy group, about one-tenth of the Florida population of voting age would be deprived of the right to vote.

Women and people of color: Democrat Ayanna Pressley became the first African-American woman to represent Mbadachusetts in Congress. Ms. Pressley is part of the wave of women and people of color who were seeking a job at the election. The Democrats had named a record number of women, many of whom were motivated by the anger caused by US President Donald Trump and the policies of his government. Men represent 80% of the House of Representatives, a share that candidates like Mrs. Pressley hoped to reduce.

Voting problems arise

Across the country, Americans lined up for more than three to four hours, faced controversial voter registration restrictions, and faced technical malfunctions in voting machines, sparking concerns about their removal.

Broken voting machines: were reported in at least 12 states on Tuesday at noon, according to an "election protection" coalition of more than 100 groups that have set up a national hotline to report irregularities.

In Georgia, where the elections included a tight and bitter race for governor, the state sent investigators to look into the problems badociated with digital voter registers, the state spokeswoman said. , Candice Broce. Some voters received provisional ballots instead of using regular voting machines, she said.

A US Department of Homeland Security official told reporters that the agency had received reports of "minor" technological failures, but that until now, they did not appear to have had any significant impact in preventing people from voting

Controversial identity restrictions: North Dakota has introduced a voter identification requirement that, according to Native Americans, discriminates against them. Voters need a provable mailing address and many people on reservation do not know theirs and do not have IDs that mention it.

In Kansas and Georgia, polling stations were moved without warning to voters, while changes to the Tennessee registration laws resulted in the removal of the voting list.

Long lines: Due to faulty machines and high turnout, many voters waited up to three hours to vote. At a polling station in Snellville, Georgia, more than 100 people sat in chairs and on the floor, standing in line for hours. One voter, Ontaria Woods, told The Associated Press that about two dozen people who came to vote had left because of the lines.

"People are grumpy and frustrated, but positive in a strange way, they make jokes and talk to each other. I think it's because we're all in the mood "nobody will be able to stop today's vote," said Nikki Euell, an advertising producer who waited more than two hours to vote in the neighborhood. from Greenpoint to Brooklyn.

How does Trump see this election?

US President Donald Trump seems to spend election day out of sight after months of electoral rallies across the country, imploring his supporters to vote. He said the media would treat the mid-term results as a Monday referendum on his presidency in one of his last campaigns.

"Even though I'm not on the ballot, I am in a certain way," Trump said at a teleconference hosted by his re-election campaign on Monday to encourage Republicans to get their ballot. withdraw and vote. "The press really considers that there is a referendum on us and us as a movement."

Mr. Trump tweeted his mentions Tuesday afternoon and spent polling day calling his allies. He says he's going to watch the results with his wife and vice president, Mike Pence.

How do the Democrats see the elections?

A troubled election season that defeated Trump 's political style against the resistance of the Democratic Resistance ended as Americans voted in the first Trump National Elections.

Voters go to the polls Tuesday, nothing is certain. Carrying boxes of donuts, former President Barack Obama and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine made a surprise visit to a campaign office in Fairfax, Virginia, with volunteers working to generate a high turnout .

Obama, who has been on the run for days campaigning, told volunteers that issues such as health care and opportunities for working families were "on the ballot" as well as the character of the nation. . "Who we are is on the ballot," he said.

The former president has campaigned in recent days in Florida, Georgia, Indiana and Illinois for a list of Democrats who have presented themselves at decisive races in the United States. Senate and governor.

According to some indications, a "blue wave" of modest support could help Democrats take control of at least one House of Congress. But two years after an election proved that the polls and the prognosticators were false, nothing is certain, as the first national elections of the Trump presidency emerge.

The importance of the election

State race is important for federal politics, as state legislatures are responsible for redefining the boundaries of congressional districts every 10 years on the basis of updated census data. Parties that control state governments tend to redefine the boundaries in their favor, meaning that those who win this year can chart the Congress until 2030.

More states under democratic control will also mean that more states will launch lawsuits to delay or block Trump administration policies, and possibly more states enacting lawsuits. Sanctuary state policies that restrict the way local police forces cooperate with federal immigration officers.

Some key elements make this election different from that of the mid-term elections in the past:

Enthusiasm of the voters: The most visible sign that these elections will not be ordinary mid-term is that voters seem to be exceptionally excited. More than half of the voters told the Pew Research Center that they were more excited to vote this year than in the past, their largest share in more than 20 years.

Turnout has also increased sharply for primary elections – increasing by almost 90% for Democratic candidates.

The reason? Mr. Trump. Compared to previous ones, a much larger percentage of voters say they will choose their candidates to send a message to the president.

Political parties were gradually nationalized: presidents imported more, individual candidates and local problems, less the voters over the years. Even so, Mr. Trump is a much more important factor for every party – leading angry Democrats and enthusiastic Republicans to the polls – than former President Barack Obama.

Women: This election inspired a record number of women to enter the race: 257 candidates in the House and Senate – a dramatic increase from two years ago.

The vast majority presents themselves as Democrats. Many were galvanized by the loss of Ms. Clinton in 2016, the fear that a Republican-controlled government would revisit the progressive policies adopted under Mr. Obama and anger against Mr. Trump that they view as a misogynist. "All of these things have created conditions that may be especially favorable to women, claiming that it's a time when we have to speak up, take a stand, and support other women," Kelly said. Dittmar of the Center for American Women and Politics. at Rutgers University.

Electors will probably also be the key to these elections. Polls have revealed a growing gap between men and women among Trump supporters, with a significant number of Republican women having cooled their presidents since taking office. This matters because women tend to vote in greater numbers than men. "The huge numbers explain why they can be such a vital voting group for any party or candidate as they will show up," said Dr. Dittmar.

The battle over Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court, despite allegations of badual misconduct, only exacerbated the gender gap – and fueled the enthusiasm of both parties.

Want to know more about the powerful strength of women voters? Tamsin McMahon, from The Globe, and Adam Radwanski explore voters in good standing here.

S & # 39; be: The American public being so deeply divided over Mr. Trump, the parties will have to rely even more on the mobilization of their loyal voters than in the previous elections. Here, Republicans have the advantage, as voters running for mid-term elections are generally older, whiter and more Republican than voters in presidential elections.

The Democratic base may be particularly dynamic this year, but the party will have to deal with historical trends and encourage more non-white voters to go to the polls if it wants to win.

African-American voters, who are strong Democrats, are expected to be more numerous this year. In September, 66% of African-American voters said in a Gallup poll that they were fully intent on voting in November, compared with 65% of white voters. These figures helped Obama take office.

Analysis and commentary

Sarah Kendzior: The resistance to Donald Trump is not what you think

David Shribman: As the United States gallops into single mid-term elections, one factor prevails: voter turnout

Editorial: The only crisis in America today is the hateful demagogy of Donald Trump.

John Ibbitson: The Democratic Demographic Advantage Is Real And Growing

Lawrence Martin: Seven recipes from a tumultuous biannual campaign

Niall Ferguson: Blue Wave Midway Could Not be Catastrophic for Trump

Douglas Frantz: Does Trump lead the United States to fascism?

With reports and reports from Tamsin McMahon, Rachelle Younglai, Ian Bailey, Adrian Morrow, Shelby Blackley, Associated Press, The Canadian Press and Reuters.