2022 elections: Americans head to the polls with midterm elections underway — live updates - CBS News

More than 122 cardinal Americans voted successful the 2018 midterm elections, the highest fig of voters for a non-presidential twelvemonth since 1978, according to Pew Research Center. Will 2022 apical it? 

This year, immoderate states reported record turnout in aboriginal voting. In Georgia, the caput of state's office said more than 2.5 cardinal aboriginal ballots were formed by the extremity of Friday earlier Election Day.

"Georgia voters came retired successful adjacent presidential-level numbers," said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

If you are voting connected Election Day, canvass closing times alteration by state. If you are waiting successful enactment erstwhile the polls close, enactment successful line, due to the fact that you inactive person the close to vote. Find retired much astir your state's voting rules and find your polling spot at vote.org.

Find a database of canvass closing times successful each authorities connected Nov. 8 here.

Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday that helium should beryllium fixed recognition if Republican candidates are victorious implicit their Democratic opponents successful their midterm races, but should not person immoderate blasted should they lose.

"I deliberation if they win, I should get each the credit, and if they lose, I should not beryllium blamed astatine all, OK," Trump said successful an interview with the cablegram quality web NewsNation acceptable to aerial this evening. "But it'll astir apt beryllium conscionable the opposite."

The erstwhile president said that helium expects to beryllium fixed small praise if the candidates helium endorsed oregon urged to tally assertion victory.

"Usually what would hap is erstwhile they bash well, I won't beryllium fixed immoderate credit, and if they bash badly, they volition blasted everything connected me," Trump said. "So I'm prepared for thing but we'll support ourselves."

Trump endorsed 247 Republicans connected the ballot this predetermination cycle, and successful immoderate instances, his enactment fueled candidates successful their primaries. In Ohio, for example, the erstwhile president's enactment for J.D. Vance helped him fastener up the GOP information successful the Senate race. 

It's little clear, however, whether Trump's endorsement volition assistance Republican candidates successful the wide election, wherever they can't trust solely connected enactment from blimpish voters to decision their Democratic opponents.

Thirty-five Senate seats are up for grabs successful full successful the 2022 midterm elections, but nether a 3rd are expected to beryllium close. Control of the enclosure volition travel down to the races successful those battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.  

Among those states, the archetypal polls adjacent successful Georgia astatine 7 p.m. ET, wherever Democrat Raphael Warnock is defending his spot against Republican Herschel Walker.

Should Republicans triumph some the House and Senate, they're apt to person a hard clip making immoderate of their much blimpish docket items law, with President Biden successful the White House. Mr. Biden's docket volition beryllium threatened if Republicans instrumentality control. 

CBS News has classified six races arsenic considered "tossups": Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Nevada and Wisconsin. Three thin successful favour of the Republican candidate: Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio. And 1 is leaning toward the Democrat: Colorado.

Read much astir the cardinal Senate races here, and find Senate predetermination results successful the CBS News Election Center passim predetermination night.

Beyond casting ballots for national and authorities candidates, voters successful astir states are besides weighing much than 100 ballot measures successful the 2022 midterm elections, touching connected hot-button issues including voting rules, immigration, marijuana legalization and weapon rights.

Read much astir the ballot measures here.

The Beaumont, Texas, subdivision of the NAACP filed a national suit against Jefferson County officials connected Monday nighttime alleging White canvass workers engaged successful elector intimidation against Black voters casting their ballots aboriginal astatine the John Paul Davis Community Center, a polling tract located successful a predominantly Black community.

In their suit filed successful U.S. territory court, the NAACP argued determination has been a "remarkable displacement successful the mode voting has been conducted" astatine the center. The suit alleges that White canvass workers asked successful "aggressive tones" lone Black voters to recite their addresses, White canvass workers and White canvass watchers followed Black voters astir the polling place, and White canvass workers helped lone White voters scan their ballots into voting machines.

The radical said that region elections officials person "actively deprived Black voters … of their cardinal close to ballot escaped from intimidation, harassment, threats, and different forms of coercion."

"The ambiance astatine the assemblage halfway has been hostile and intimidating" to the plaintiff successful the case, Jessica Daye, and different Black voters, the NAACP said successful its lawsuit.

An exigency proceeding was held successful Beaumont connected Monday nighttime earlier U.S. District Judge Michael Truncale, who issued an bid prohibiting predetermination judges, clerks, volunteers oregon canvass watchers astatine the assemblage halfway from having immoderate voters publically recite their addresses earlier they tin ballot and barring them from positioning themselves adjacent voters marking their ballots, with 2 exceptions.

Truncale's bid besides prohibits predetermination officials astatine the assemblage halfway from refusing to assistance immoderate voters scan their completed ballot into voting machines and stops them from turning distant voters eligible to vote.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson said successful a connection that elector intimidation is "unacceptable successful this democracy," and helium cheered the bid "protecting the voting rights of voters successful Beaumont."

Two canvass workers successful Georgia were removed from their duties aft societal media posts surfaced that appeared to amusement them successful the mob that stormed the Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021, according to interim Deputy Secretary of State Gabriel Sterling. 

The Washington Post first reported that Fulton County officials removed the 2 canvass workers successful airy of the societal media posts, and reported that the workers were a pistillate and her son.

Officials successful Florida sought to artifact national predetermination monitors from entering polling places successful a fistful of counties, arguing Justice Department unit bash not person the authorization to beryllium contiguous successful polling places nether authorities law.

In a missive to a Justice Department authoritative connected Monday, Brad McVay, wide counsel astatine the Florida Department of State, pushed backmost against the imaginable of national monitors entering polling sites connected Election Day. 

The missive came successful effect to an announcement from the section that it was sending monitors to polling locations successful 64 jurisdictions crossed 24 states, including Florida's Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. The section said the move, which is regular connected predetermination days, was meant to guarantee compliance with national voting rights laws and "protect the rights of each citizens to entree the ballot."

Backed by Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, the Florida missive said Justice Department canvass watchers are not allowed to participate Florida polling sites for in-person monitoring, citing a authorities statute that lists who is and is not authorized to "enter immoderate polling country oregon polling place." Personnel with the Justice Department are not included connected the list, the missive said, and the section has not provided grounds that would warrant "federal intrusion." 

The missive besides suggested that permitting national instrumentality enforcement to participate polling places "would beryllium counterproductive and could perchance undermine assurance successful the election" and said Florida plans to nonstop its ain monitors to Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach polling sites instead. 

"We wanted to marque it wide that those are places for predetermination workers and for voters, not for anyone else," Byrd said during a news conference connected Tuesday. "It is the states that person the law authorization implicit the polling places, unless Congress makes the instrumentality … We expect that [the Department of Justice will] respect Florida law."

The determination comes aft Missouri officials besides told the Justice Department that monitors would not beryllium permitted wrong definite polling places.

Missouri's Cole County, encompassing the authorities superior Jefferson City, appeared connected the Justice Department's database of jurisdictions to monitor, and officials determination person taken akin steps to support national watchers distant from polling locations. Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said implicit the play that helium supports County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer's efforts to support the monitors out.

"Under Missouri law, the section predetermination authorization is empowered to determine who, different than voters and canvass workers, whitethorn beryllium astatine polling locations," Ashcroft wrote connected Twitter. "Cole County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer has rightfully declined to let this over-reach and the caput of state's bureau afloat supports him."

President Biden spoke by telephone connected Tuesday with a fig of Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to the White House.  

The president besides spoke with Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison, Democratic Governors Association Chair Roy Cooper, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Sean Patrick Maloney, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Gary Peters, and Democratic National Committee elder advisor Cedric Richmond.

Mr. Biden is astatine the White House each time with nary nationalist events connected his schedule. 

Voters are weighing ballot initiatives connected abortion access successful five states that volition impact the close of women to extremity a gestation aft the Supreme Court overturned Roe. v. Wade earlier this year.

Abortion rights are directly connected the ballot successful California, Michigan, Vermont, Kentucky and Montana, done either projected amendments to authorities constitutions oregon by legislative referendum successful Montana. In 3 of the states — California, Michigan and Vermont — voters are deciding whether to enshrine termination rights successful their respective authorities constitutions, portion successful Kentucky and Montana, the ballot measures question to bounds termination access.

Concerns astir termination entree reached their apex aft the Supreme Court's blimpish bulk successful June wiped distant the law close to an abortion, leaving the contented to elected officials successful the states. To guarantee termination rights are protected, supporters are pursuing a multi-pronged run that includes authorities legislatures, authorities courts and an entreaty straight to voters done ballot measures.

Buoyed by the defeat successful Kansas of a projected law amendment removing the close to an termination from the authorities constitution, different authorities lawmakers and activists are already laying the groundwork for ballot initiatives successful much states successful 2024.

Read much astir the ballot initiatives here.

CBS News elder White House analogous Weijia Jiang joined Scott MacFarlane and Nikki Batiste to sermon the Biden administration's plans if Democrats suffer power of the House and Senate aft Election Day:

Final voting began without large hitches successful midterm elections nether aggravated scrutiny aft 2 years of mendacious claims and conspiracy theories astir however ballots are formed and counted.

With polls unfastened crossed astir of the country, nary large problems were reported aboriginal on, though determination were hiccups successful immoderate places, which is emblematic connected immoderate Election Day.

For example, ballot tabulators malfunctioned successful a region successful New Jersey and 1 successful Arizona -- perchance requiring hand-counting instead; immoderate voting sites successful Pennsylvania were delayed successful opening due to the fact that workers showed up late, and others scrambled to replenish supplies of insubstantial ballots that were moving low.

"These are things we spot successful each predetermination cycle," said Susannah Goodman, manager of predetermination information astatine Common Cause, a radical that advocates for voting access. "There's thing majorly concerning this morning."

Read much here.

Pew probe says astir 35 cardinal Latinos are eligible to ballot successful the midterm elections. That's astir 14% of the electorate, making up the 2nd largest radical and taste radical of eligible voters. Melissa Alfaro, co-founder of the Dallas-based enactment Hey Chica!, joined CBS News with a look astatine the cardinal issues this voting bloc is focusing on:

The system and transgression are 2 large issues voters are focusing connected arsenic they formed their ballots. Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez and Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright articulation "CBS News Mornings" successful a sheet treatment astir what is driving voters to the polls and however large issues are impacting their votes:

At 11:20 a.m., the White House called what's known arsenic a "lid" for the day, meaning the nationalist shouldn't expect to spot oregon perceive from the president successful idiosyncratic connected Election Day.

The president tin inactive contented statements and societal media posts, but a lid means the excavation of reporters liable for pursuing him won't person immoderate entree for the remainder of the day, and helium won't beryllium traveling anywhere. 

On Monday night, the president participated successful a rally for Democratic candidates successful Prince George's County, Maryland, a heavy Democratic county. That was his lone governmental halt for the day, though helium did enactment successful virtual events for the Democratic National Committee. 

Asked wherefore the president was sticking to Democratic strongholds similar the New York suburbs and Maryland successful the 2 days earlier Election Day, White House property caput Karine Jean-Pierre said the president ever says helium goes wherever helium has a "passport" to the metropolis from section officials. 

To amended recognize this year's midterm elections, CBS News has identified cardinal groups of voters whose motivations spell beyond enactment labels. They see "pressured parents," who are acrophobic astir ostentation and their children's well-being successful the post-pandemic world. 

CBS News sat down with 3 parents successful the Philadelphia suburbs to speech astir the issues driving their midterm vote, arsenic the radical could beryllium the quality successful Pennsylvania's high-stakes predetermination and could assistance find who controls Congress:

Read much here.

Voters caput to the polls contiguous successful what could beryllium 1 of the country's astir consequential midterm elections. CBS News governmental manager Fin Gomez stops by CBS News Mornings with a preview of what to expect and wherever immoderate of the most-watched races stand:

When polls commencement closing Tuesday evening, the CBS News Election Center volition statesman updating automatically with results from Senate, House and governors' races from crossed the country. 

The Election Center volition amusement the wide contention for power of the House, Senate and governorships, arsenic good arsenic a representation detailing Senate results:

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is convening an Election Day operations halfway with predetermination information partners from crossed authorities and the backstage sector, a elder bureau authoritative said Tuesday. The bureau is linked virtually with predetermination officials successful each 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories to facilitate sharing of accusation and respond if immoderate issues emerge.

There are presently "no circumstantial and credible threats to disrupt predetermination infrastructure" and CISA maintains "high assurance successful the information and resilience of the elections," the elder CISA authoritative told reporters.

The authoritative conceded that determination volition apt beryllium issues. "There are 8,800 predetermination jurisdictions — we spot issues popular up each Election Day," said the official.

CISA has not yet identified nor attributed immoderate malicious cyber enactment targeting predetermination infrastructure, but the authoritative warned determination whitethorn beryllium "low-level cyber activity," specified arsenic denial of work attacks and defacement of websites.

"We whitethorn spot predetermination related website outages for wholly innocuous reasons," the authoritative noted. "It's important to retrieve that specified enactment would not impact a person's quality to formed a ballot oregon cognize that their ballot was counted accurately, and that the predetermination is secure."

In effect to Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin's admission connected Monday that helium had interfered successful U.S. elections and would bash truthful successful the future, the CISA authoritative said Russia's "playbook is retired there" and the bureau volition proceed to spouse with officials to safeguard elections.

The authoritative noted that cardinal players stay Russia, Iran and China. While Russia began its meddling successful 2016, the authoritative noted that Iran ramped up its power operations successful 2020. "Then successful 2022, we observed China participating successful power behavior," the authoritative said.

Asked to elaborate connected China's actions, the authoritative pointed to erstwhile announcements by the Department of Justice and Meta, the genitor institution of Facebook. 

"My constituent is… we person observed caller participants who did not truly prosecute successful 2020 consenting to prosecute successful predetermination power successful 2022," the authoritative said.

The bureau is alert of imaginable issues with voting machines successful Virginia, the authoritative said, saying CISA has "been successful touch." The bureau has heard of isolated, regular issues successful the state, "but thing that suggests a wide outage of voting systems."

CISA volition proceed to update its "Rumor vs. Reality" blog to combat immoderate misinformation oregon disinformation surrounding the election, the authoritative added.

In CBS News' ongoing conception "Three Meals," "CBS Mornings" co-host Tony Dokoupil eats immoderate classical Florida nutrient astatine restaurants successful Miami, Melbourne and Jacksonville portion discussing what's connected voters' minds up of the midterm elections:

Democratic campaigns are informing that aboriginal results could amusement their Republican opponents leading, and that successful immoderate cases it could beryllium a portion earlier the state knows the victor successful immoderate races. Like successful 2020, archetypal results could amusement Republicans with an aboriginal pb earlier each votes are counted, since a greater proportionality of Republicans thin to ballot successful idiosyncratic connected Election Day, portion much Democrats thin to ballot by mail. 

The run manager for John Fetterman, the Democratic Senate campaigner successful Pennsylvania, warned that Republicans could usage the aboriginal returns to substance conspiracy theories implicit the predetermination results. 

"Election Day is astir here, and Republicans are already laying the groundwork to perchance dispersed mendacious conspiracy theories astir the apt 'red mirage' of ballot processing successful Pennsylvania," a Monday memo from Brendan McPhillips said. "The world is Pennsylvania instrumentality means in-person votes that skew Republican thin to disproportionately beryllium counted and reported earlier Democratic-leaning mail-in votes."

"Don't conscionable instrumentality our connection for it: autarkic analysts universally expect to spot a reddish to bluish displacement hap aft reporting begins Tuesday night," the memo continued. "Similar to 2020, the world is it volition instrumentality clip — apt respective days — to number the votes accurately and guarantee each eligible ballot is counted."

In Washington state, Democratic incumbent Sen. Patty Murray's run manager offered a akin connection successful a Monday memo. In Washington, mail-in ballots lone request to beryllium postmarked by Election Day to count. 

"While it is imaginable that immoderate organizations whitethorn telephone the contention based connected projections, the astir apt script is that we won't cognize the last effect successful Washington connected Election Day," Murray run manager Helen Hare wrote. "There is extended precedent for dilatory predetermination returns successful Washington state. In 2010, Senator Murray's contention wasn't called until the Thursday aft Election Day." 

The White House has besides warned that results could beryllium slow. 

"We whitethorn not cognize each the winners of elections for a fewer days," White House property caput Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday. "It takes clip to number each morganatic ballots successful a ineligible and orderly manner. That's however this is expected to work." 

As polls opened crossed the U.S., CBS News main Washington analogous Nancy Cordes, alongside governmental analysts Mick Mulvaney and Ashley Etienne, joined "CBS Mornings" to analyse what's astatine involvement successful the 2022 midterms. 

"It won't beryllium an elected authoritative that's going to prevention us," Etienne said, who has served arsenic a elder advisor to Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "We're going to person to say, capable is enough."

Mulvaney, who served arsenic acting White House main of unit nether President Donald Trump, echoed her remarks, saying, "it's not going to beryllium a person that saves us."

"One person didn't get america into this problem. One person is not going to get america out," helium said. "People inquire me, 'How bash you hole Washington?' I'm like, Washington doesn't truly lead. Washington reflects the nation. The crushed Washington is truthful divided is that the state is."

"Don't look to Washington to hole this," helium said.

Read much here.

CBS News elder White House analogous Ed O'Keefe joins "CBS Mornings" to sermon what is astatine involvement for Democrats and Republicans successful this predetermination and however it could interaction the remainder of President Biden's agenda:

Election officials hole voting materials astatine a polling presumption successful Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, connected Nov. 8, 2022. REBECCA DROKE/AFP via Getty Images

Some of Pennsylvania's largest counties scrambled Monday to assistance voters hole mail-in ballots that person fatal flaws specified arsenic incorrect dates oregon missing signatures connected the envelopes utilized to nonstop them in, bringing astir disorder and ineligible challenges successful the battleground authorities connected the eve of the election.

Elections officials successful Philadelphia and Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, announced measures they were taking successful effect to authorities Supreme Court rulings successful caller days that said mail-in ballots whitethorn not beryllium counted if they deficiency close handwritten dates connected the exterior envelopes.

Ahead of Tuesday's midterms, much than a cardinal mail-in and absentee ballots person already been returned successful Pennsylvania, with Democrats acold much apt than Republicans to ballot by mail. The numbers are ample capable that they mightiness substance successful a adjacent race, specified arsenic the contention betwixt Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz that could find bulk power of the U.S. Senate.

The Department of State said it was unclear conscionable however galore ballots are astatine contented crossed the state. The bureau implicit the play asked counties to supply the numbers, breached down by governmental party. Officials said immoderate counties were not letting voters hole their mistakes.

Lines formed astatine City Hall successful downtown Philadelphia connected Monday and implicit the play with voters waiting to close their ballots. Some radical connected societal media said the bureau did not get to everyone Monday.

The Pennsylvania litigation was filed by Republican groups and is among ineligible efforts by some governmental parties successful aggregate states to person courts benignant retired disputes implicit voting rules and procedures up of the midterm election.

A caller national suit implicit the envelope dates was filed Monday successful Pittsburgh national tribunal by the nationalist legislature and senatorial Democratic run organizations, 2 Democratic voters and Fetterman's U.S. Senate campaign. They sued region boards of predetermination crossed the state, arguing that throwing retired ballots that deficiency due envelope dates would interruption a proviso successful the 1964 U.S. Civil Rights Act that says radical can't beryllium kept from voting based connected what the suit calls "needless method requirements." A abstracted national suit filed past Friday makes a akin argument.

Mail-in ballots indispensable beryllium received by 8 p.m. Tuesday, truthful astatine this constituent officials are urging radical who person not done truthful to present them to elections offices oregon driblet boxes by hand.

Read much from The Associated Press here.

Abortion rights has emerged among the apical issues motivating voters this predetermination rhythm aft the Supreme Court rolled backmost the law close to an abortion, and successful immoderate states, questions deciding the aboriginal of termination entree volition beryllium connected the ballot adjacent month.

The November elections volition determine which enactment controls the House and Senate, and successful Senate races successful Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania, voters who fertile the contented arsenic precise important favour Democratic candidates implicit their Republican opponents, caller polls conducted by CBS News found.

In 5 states, the contented of termination volition beryllium straight earlier voters erstwhile they caput to the polls and, successful summation to casting their votes for national and authorities offices, they'll measurement successful connected ballot initiatives that question to either support the close to termination oregon restrict access.

Voters successful 3 states — California, Michigan and Vermont — volition determine whether to enshrine termination rights successful their respective authorities constitutions, portion successful 2 others —Kentucky and Montana — proposals connected the ballots question to bounds termination rights.

Read much astir the ballot measures here.

The 2022 midterm elections this November could beryllium the astir consequential successful years, perchance defying governmental past and resetting modern governmental norms arsenic power of the House and Senate volition beryllium decided Tuesday.

Every spot successful the House of Representatives is up for grabs, arsenic are 35 U.S. Senate seats and 36 governorships. Several much down-ballot races for caput of state, lawyer wide oregon power of authorities legislatures could person wide-ranging effects connected the absorption of the 2024 statesmanlike elections, arsenic could hot-button issues similar termination rights, clime alteration and wellness care. 

In the last week earlier the election, Republicans were successful bully presumption to triumph a bulk of seats successful the House to instrumentality control, arsenic shown by the CBS News Battleground Tracker. Eight successful 10 apt voters picture things successful the state arsenic "out of control," and Republicans are winning those who accidental this by implicit 20 points. Currently, Democrats clasp tiny majorities successful the House and Senate. 

It takes 218 seats to triumph power of the House — here's what the Tracker presently estimates if the House elections were held today:

Read much here.

Wall Street analysts are betting that Tuesday's midterm elections will flip power of Congress, with perchance important implications for the U.S. economy.

History backs them up: The president's enactment has mislaid betwixt 25 and 30 House seats successful astir each modern midterm election. But this year, the system is playing an outsized role. A caller Gallup poll found that the information of registered voters calling the system "extremely important" successful who they enactment astatine the ballot container is astatine its second-highest level successful 2 decades.

Muddying the representation this twelvemonth is that the system is sending mixed signals. A historically strong occupation market and precocious rates of Americans starting businesses coexist with the highest ostentation since the aboriginal 1980s and soaring vigor costs. 

In canvass aft poll, Americans person cited the rapidly rising terms of food, gasoline and lodging arsenic a large interest going into the election. Fuel costs, successful particular, person agelong been correlated with the approval rating of the idiosyncratic successful the White House. While prices astatine the pump person fallen from record-highs levels successful June, they're inactive astir 40 cents a gallon higher than a twelvemonth agone for regular gas. 

Read much here.