While the voting stations for the United States midterm elections closed on Tuesday night and the "red wave" that the Republicans predicted never materialised, many close races in numerous states remain uncertain as all votes – including those from abroad – are still being counted.
For the 19 US states that accept mail-in ballots posted on or before Election Day, votes will continue to be counted in the days ahead. In critical states, like Arizona and Georgia, election officials have estimated that counting may take anywhere from a week to 12 days.
“Overseas voters knew just how much was at stake this November – and they also knew that their ballots could make the difference in close elections,” said Candice Kerestan, International Chair of Democrats Abroad, who cast her Pennsylvania ballot from the German city of Munich.
While the results continue to be called, it is important that voters know the difference between calling and certifying an election. Votes cast in advance or sent in via post are often counted last. This can skew the preliminary results in many states, as Democrats are more likely to vote by mail while most Republicans vote on Election Day itself.
Making the difference in critical states
"We knew that many of these races would be tight. That is why we worked relentlessly all year to get out the overseas vote," Kerestan added.
In 2020, the number of overseas ballots returned was well within the margin of victory in two key states: in Georgia, 11,779 votes decided the outcome with 27,252 Georgians returning their ballots from outside the United States; in Arizona, 10,457 votes decided the outcome with 21,661 Arizonans abroad sending their ballots home.
These states continue to be "critical battlegrounds" for Democratic candidates and the results of these elections may not be certain until Georgia’s election result certification deadline of 25 November and Arizona’s on 2 December. The overseas voters in both states, whose votes have yet to be fully counted, may prove to be impactful on final results, Democrats Abroad stressed.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 (of the 100) seats in the Senate were up for contest this year, as were the governors in 36 states and the State legislators in 46 states, while races for numerous state and local offices were also held.
Related News
- No 'red wave' in US midterms: Democrats do better than expected
- USA: Biden sees mid-terms as 'a good day for democracy,' plans to seek re-election in 2024
- 'The margin of victory': Americans abroad urged to vote in tomorrow's US midterm elections
In the Senate, the Democrats currently have 48 seats, and the Republicans have 49, according to the votes that have already been counted of which the results have already been determined, reports The New York Times.
While the Republicans need to flip only one seat to gain control of the Senate, the Democrats need to keep 50 seats to maintain control. In that case, the division in the Senate will remain at 50-50, with the deciding vote going to the Senate president, Democratic vice-president Kamala Harris.
The House of Representatives will likely go to the Republicans as expected, but possibly by a smaller margin than hoped for by the party: as things stand, the Republicans would get 224 seats, the Democrats 211, according to The New York Times' estimations.
