Why Does US Ballot Counting Take So Long?

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The balance of power in the U.S. Congress following Tuesday’s midterm elections is still up in the air, with several key races yet to be called some 48 hours after many polls closed. A cliffhanger-style multiday wait for results is far from unusual in the United States, where it is the media that generally first calls elections, based on votes tabulated by county clerks and other officials as well as statistical analysis. While the long delays can exasperate American voters — and raise questions from curious international observers — there are several reasons why the process can stretch out. Patchworkmore

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US Confident in Integrity of Midterm Elections

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A day after the polls closed for the United States’ midterm elections, the government agency charged with leading election security efforts expressed confidence that every vote cast was being counted accurately. “We have seen no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was any way compromised in any race in the country,” said Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in a statement Wednesday. “We can all have confidence in the safety, security, and integrity of our elections,” she added. The assessment confirmed a sentiment expressed by multiple CISA officials whilemore

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Tight California Races May Determine US House Control

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A string of too-early-to-call California races remains in play and might end up determining whether Republicans seize control of the U.S. House or Democrats hang on to power. With millions of votes still uncounted Wednesday across the nation’s most populous state, uncertainty remained for about a dozen of the state’s 52 House contests. The most competitive of those races were in the Los Angeles region and the Central Valley farm belt. In Southern California, Democratic Representatives Katie Porter and Mike Levin were locked in close races, despite President Joe Biden’s late-hour campaign swing on their behalf. East of Los Angeles,more

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Democracy ‘Who We Are,’ Biden Says After Midterm Elections

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America’s midterm elections, which left control of the Congress in doubt with several House and Senate seats still to be decided after a full day of ballot-counting, nevertheless marked a good day for democracy, President Joe Biden said Wednesday. “Our democracy has been tested in recent years, but with their votes, the American people have spoken and proven once again that democracy is who we are,” Biden told reporters during a wide-ranging 53-minute news conference at the White House. The president characterized his Democratic Party as having done better than expected against the Republicans and announced he will invite leadersmore

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US Midterms Seen Maintaining Congress’ Bipartisan Support for Iran’s People; Impact on Biden Policy Unclear

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The U.S. midterm elections are likely to result in a continuity of bipartisan congressional support for the Iranian people’s aspirations for freedom from Islamist rule, but the impact on President Joe Biden’s Iran policy is unclear, according to some Iranian American observers. Majid Sadeghpour, policy director for the Organization of Iranian American Communities, told VOA that he foresees a bipartisan group in Congress continuing to side with Iran’s seven-week-long uprising in which Iranians have protested mostly peacefully in universities, factories and streets against their ruling Shiite clerics. “We see no distinction here between Republicans and Democrats. Bipartisan members of Congressmore

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African Nations Closely Watch US Midterm Results

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With control of Congress still undecided a day after the U.S. midterm elections, African leaders and political analysts are closely watching for signs of what impact the outcome could have on the continent. African analysts say their biggest concern is how this contentious poll could affect U.S. standing around the world — especially in African nations that have seen democratic backsliding. There are also economic concerns over how the U.S. responds to rising inflation around the world. Wednesday trading showed that African markets were closely watching the impact on the most popular U.S. export: the dollar. On a more personalmore

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Control of House, Senate Too Close to Call

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The fate of U.S. President Joe Biden’s policy aspirations for the remainder of his first term hangs in the balance as the country awaits midterm election results that will determine which political party controls Congress for the next two years. Several key Senate races were too close to call early Wednesday while incumbents are faring well in others. Election officials across the country have cautioned it could take days before the results of some contests are definitive. Overall, an anticipated Republican red wave appears to be a trickle with the opposition party picking up fewer than expected seats in themore

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Control of the US Congress Still Too Close to Call

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U.S. voters headed to the polls Tuesday to decide control of the U.S. Congress. But with vote counting still ongoing, many races are still too close to call and it is still not clear if Democrats will retain their narrow majorities in the House and Senate – or if Republicans will take control. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports from Georgia. Videographer: Adam Greenbaum …

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After Election, Disinformation Battle Continues

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Election officials across the United States found themselves in a pitched battle Tuesday, trying to quash domestic and largely partisan efforts to take scattered voting malfunctions and cast them as evidence of a larger conspiracy targeting the 2022 midterm elections.  Warnings about the potential for a rigged election have been circulating for weeks on websites and social media platforms favored by conservatives and supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump, many of whom continue to believe the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen despite a lack of evidence.  Those claims gained new life early Tuesday after officials in New Jerseymore

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Inflation, Abortion Top Issues for US Midterm Voters, Exit Poll Finds

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Inflation and abortion topped the list of issues motivating U.S. voters in Tuesday’s midterm elections, followed by crime, immigration and gun policy, an exit poll conducted by Edison Research showed. Turnout for the midterms, which will determine control of Congress and a number of state governorships, was about evenly divided between men and women, according to the poll. The following is a summary of some of the survey’s latest findings: About 6 out of 10 voters said they were “dissatisfied or angry” about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v Wade, and about the same percentage said abortionmore

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Handful of States Will Decide Control of US Congress for Next 2 Years

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The balance of power in the U.S. Congress is at stake Tuesday as voters head to the polls to decide whether Democrats will continue to hold the majority in the Senate and House, either delivering a boost for Joe Biden’s presidency or shifting power to Republicans. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports from one of the key places in Election 2022 — the Southern state of Georgia. Videographer: Adam Greenbaum …

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US Officials Hope Confidence Campaign Pays Off for Midterm Elections

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U.S. voters and election security officials are bracing for potential disruptions, meddling and even violence as millions of Americans head to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in the country’s midterm elections. According to a recent Economist/YouGov poll, just over half of Americans (51%) say violence at polling places is somewhat or very likely. The poll, which surveyed 1,500 adults between October 29 and November 1, found just as many (51%) believe there will be interference by foreign countries. A separate YouGov poll from July found 32% of those surveyed had little to no confidence in the results of themore

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Republicans, Democrats File Over 100 Lawsuits in Run-up to Midterms

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In the run-up to Tuesday’s midterms, Republicans and Democrats have filed dozens of lawsuits in battleground states that hold the key to control of the U.S. Congress. The lawsuits challenge various rules governing the elections, with the bulk focused on the casting and counting of mail-in ballots that have grown in popularity in recent years. As of Monday, a total of 128 election and voting-related lawsuits have been filed so far in 2022, according to Democracy Docket, a left-leaning voting rights organization that tracks election litigation. Of the total, 71 seek to restrict access to voting, while the rest aimmore

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Tuesday’s US Congressional Elections Could Shape New Debates in Washington

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Tuesday is Election Day in the United States, with millions of Americans casting ballots in congressional elections that will determine the philosophical shape of Congress and set the tone for the Washington political debate during the second half of Democratic President Joe Biden’s four-year term.     All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are at stake, and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate. More than 42 million people have already cast ballots in early in-person or mail-in voting. Some analysts suggest the total vote in contests across the country could top the 115 million tally in the 2018more

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Republicans Show Late Gains as Election Enters Final Days

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With just days to go before the 2022 midterm elections, and control of both houses of Congress and many important state-level offices on the line, momentum appears to be swinging in favor of the Republican Party. For several months in the middle of 2022, Democrats had allowed themselves to hope that this year they might escape the usual fate of the president’s party during midterms — an almost inevitable loss of seats in Congress. A Supreme Court ruling that did away with a constitutional right to abortion, and a series of high-profile hearings illuminating the role former President Trump playedmore

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US Candidates Make Final Push Ahead of Midterm Elections

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Tuesday’s midterm elections in the United States will determine whether Democrats maintain majorities or if Republicans seize power in the House of Representatives and the Senate, both of which are up for grabs. With some Republican candidates already crying foul on so-called election integrity, nonpartisan groups are keeping a close eye on the process. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …

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Biden, Trump Push Pennsylvania US Senate Candidates Ahead of Midterms

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U.S. President Joe Biden told voters in Pennsylvania that a Democratic loss in Tuesday’s midterm elections would have “decades” of consequences, while Republicans including his predecessor Donald Trump predicted a sweeping victory. The biggest names in U.S. politics — Biden, Trump and former President Barack Obama — visited Pennsylvania on Saturday, hoping to tip the balance in a pivotal midterm Senate race between Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman and Republican celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz. “Folks, three days, three days until one of the most important elections in our lifetime. The outcome is going to shape our country for decades tomore

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 VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, Oct. 30–Nov. 5

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Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.  Analysts Don’t Expect Significant Changes in Immigration Policy After the Midterms   Despite the record influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and a shortage of workers in the United States, experts believe immigration policy will remain unchanged after the midterm elections. Some experts say that if Republicans take control of Congress, President Joe Biden likely will turn to the administrative process to accomplish any immigration changes. Story by VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros.  US Migrant Busingmore

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US Schools Clash With Parents Over Bans on Student Cellphones

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Cellphones — the ultimate distraction — keep children from learning, educators say. But in attempts to keep the phones at bay, the most vocal pushback doesn’t always come from students. In some cases, it’s from parents. Bans on the devices were on the rise before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since schools reopened, struggles with student behavior and mental health have given some schools even more reason to restrict access. But parents and caregivers who had constant access to their children during remote learning have been reluctant to give that up. Some fear losing touch with their kids during a school shooting.more

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