435 House Seats and 35 Senate Seats Up for Grabs Tuesday

All 435 seats in the U.S. House and 35 seats in the Senate are on the ballot this Tuesday. The outcome will determine which party controls Congress and how easily President Donald Trump can push his agenda in the next two years. Hundreds of local races are also on the ballot across the country.

Voting activity has been high before the main event. Nearly 60 million Americans have already cast their ballots, either by mail or at early in-person locations. That number comes from a pool of roughly 250 million eligible voters, according to the Pew Research Center.

Early totals do not guarantee a clear picture of party strength. Even in states that publish party registration data, a voter's registered affiliation does not always match the candidate they support. Analysts caution against reading too much into early numbers.

The Justice Department is deploying approximately 1,000 election monitors and observers across all 50 states. This is the first time the department has mounted a monitoring effort that reaches every state. The monitors will check compliance with federal voting rights laws, including rules on voter intimidation and access for voters with disabilities.

Close races may delay final results. The time required to count outstanding mail ballots could leave the control of Congress unsettled beyond election night.