Americans Elect Representatives to Congress and Senate

WASHINGTON, (Patria) - Eligible voters in the United States are heading to the polls today for congressional elections, seen as a referendum on American President Donald Trump, reports world agencies.

Americans are electing representatives to Congress and to almost all state legislatures, as well as governors in 36 out of 50 American states, reports Al Jazeera.

The latest polls and analyses indicate that Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives, but their chances of taking the Senate are not favorable.

According to Voice of America, voter enthusiasm is much higher than in previous elections, with nearly 35.5 million Americans having already voted, which is 67.8 percent more than in 2014, when the majority in Congress was also being decided.

The elections are held two years after the presidential election, halfway through Trump's term (hence the name "midterm"), and are considered a referendum on the occupant of the White House.

Historically, the president's party rarely avoids protest votes and defeat in the middle of his term.

The entire House of Representatives, or 435 congressmen, whose terms last two years, is being elected.

In the Senate, which has 100 members, terms last six years. Approximately one-third of the Senate is elected every two years. Now, slightly more than a third of new senators, 35 of them, will be elected.

Republicans currently control Congress. In the Senate, they have a narrow majority (51 senators to 49 Democrats), and a larger majority in the House of Representatives (236 representatives to 193 Democrats, with six vacant seats).

In the House of Representatives, Democrats need to "take" 25 seats from Republicans if they want to have a majority. This is, if polls are any indication, quite achievable.

Democrats have slightly fewer prospects of taking the Senate as well, because the electoral calendar indicates that they are defending 26 seats in November, while Republicans are defending only nine.

The newly elected representatives will begin their terms on January 1, 2019.

Polls throughout most of 2018 favored the Democratic Party, but their chances of taking the Senate - where 43 Republicans and 22 Democrats are currently seated, with the rest being elected today - are not in their favor.

According to analysts, control of the Senate will come down to just a few races - in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

U.S. President Donald Trump embarked on his final campaign tour on Monday to boost support for Republican candidates in three American states, the day before the congressional elections that will determine who will control the houses of Congress until the next presidential election in November 2020.

Addressing his supporters in Cleveland, Ohio, where he held his first planned rally in support of Republicans, Trump warned that these elections were about him and his policies.

"In a way, I'm on the ballot. You have to go out and vote," said the American president. He once again highlighted immigration and national security as key issues.

"Do you want more caravans and more violence? Vote for Democrats," Trump said, referring to the caravan of Central American migrants walking through Mexico. "Do you want safe communities? Vote for Republicans," he added.

For many Americans, Tuesday's congressional elections represent a referendum on "Trump's divisive personality, hardline policies, and belligerent rhetoric," reports Reuters.

On the last day before the first national elections since the New York billionaire won the White House, Democrats also continued their campaign.

Former President Barack Obama, who has emerged as the most sought-after figure in the campaign to support Democratic candidates, surprised volunteers at a Democratic Party field office in Virginia by coming to thank them for their efforts.

He emphasized that the vote is, among other things, about healthcare and "ensuring that working families get a fair chance," stressing that the most important thing voters will decide is the "character of this country."

"This is about who we are, about what policies we expect," Obama said.

Nationally, 52 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's presidential performance.

A Reuters poll showed that more people were preparing to vote for a Democratic candidate than for a Republican candidate on Tuesday.