Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Miami, Florida

With Republicans expected to enjoy a blowout night in Florida, I'll be looking closely at the margins of their victory and what it tells us.

For example, does the current Republican Governor Ron DeSantis carry Florida by more than Donald Trump did in 2020?

At that time, the former president won the state for a second time by more than a three-point margin, the largest for any presidential election in the state since 2004.

Some are speculating that DeSantis will do even better, cementing Florida's move to the right - and inevitably adding to the debate over who might run for the White House in 2024.

I'll also be looking closely at Miami-Dade county, the most state's most populous, and once a sure bet for Democrats.

Yet early voting shows Republicans cast more ballots than Democrats there. Similar swings in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa Bay could see Republicans gain all five seats of seats the party needs in order to take control of the House of Representatives.

At present, Democrats narrowly control the House of Representatives. A party needs 218 seats to hold the majority.

The Democrats are defending 220 seats, and the Republicans 212. Three seats are vacant, and could be filled by either party. So the Republicans need a net gain of five seats - that is, hold all current seats plus five - to take a majority.

Walk through the BBC Washington bureau with us as we take you through how we cover the election with accuracy, impartiality - and hopefully a bit of fun.

Jane O'Brien
Reporting from New Hampshire

New Hampshire's Senate race between Democrat Maggie Hassan and Republican Don Bolduc remains neck and neck, with Republican voters focused firmly on the economy and ready to dismiss their candidate’s flirtation with conspiracy theories.

"Our livelihood is at stake here – that’s what’s important," according to Suzanne Nelson, president of the North Country Federated Republican Women.

"New Hampshire is like the rest of the country – we’re just fed up with what’s going on," she says.

Blaine Nelson (no relation), one of several women taking part in a sign waving event in the community of Center Conway, says: "I didn’t vote for Don Bolduc in the primary but I really like him. He’s down to earth and listens to the people."

She adds that she supports abortion rights, but feels the states should decide how to regulate it.

Hassan has accused Bolduc of backing a nationwide ban on abortion, which he denies.

John Walton
Data journalism editor

You should now be able to see our election results service online.

There are no results yet, but as polls close we will have projections for all the major races, and final results once they are confirmed.

The data BBC News uses is provided by Edison Research, and distributed by Reuters for the National Election Pool (NEP).

The NEP is a group of US news networks, made up of ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN.

In addition to the results data, the BBC is also able to draw on the expertise of its partner station, CBS, which uses some of its own research to make calls.

Gary O'Donoghue
Reporting from Atlanta, Georgia

Image source, .

The close Senate race between Democratic senator Raphael Warnock and his Republican opponent Herschel Walker might not finish until December.

In Georgia, a candidate must reach above 50% of the vote to win. Both men have bounced around the mid-40s in polling throughout the race - despite Walker facing a slew of scandals that would normally end the chances for a candidate.

But in these polarised times, party fealty and animus towards the other side has meant that most Republicans have stuck with the former football star.

If neither reaches the 50 percent plus one tonight, then they will have to run-off against one another in four weeks' time.

Pollsters haven’t told us much about how Georgia’s voters will feel about that.

Image source, .

The Senate race in Georgia between Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker is currently rated a toss-up, according to analysis of results in so far by our partners at CBS News.

Voters for both candidates were looking for honesty, integrity and shared values rather than whether the candidate was qualified.

Voting has just closed in another six states, including most polls the battlegrounds of Georgia and in Florida.

South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and New Hampshire have also just stopped voting.

In Florida, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to fend off a challenge from Democrat Charlie Crist.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio is facing off in the Sunshine State against Val Demings, a former Orlando police chief and congresswoman in the House of Representatives.

The Georgia Senate race is expected to be a nail-biter, between Republican former NFL star Herschel Walker, and Democratic Senator and pastor Raphael Warnock.

Republican Governor Brian Kemp is trying to hold his seat in the Peach State against Democratic politician and activist Stacey Abrams.

Voting has been extended in two key states that could swing the balance of power in the Senate.

In Georgia, officials ordered six precincts to stay open for an extra 45 minutes because they opened late this morning.

Gabriel Sterling, the acting Georgia deputy secretary of state, said in a news conference on Tuesday afternoon that the state has seen “steady turnout”, adding that election day so far has been “wonderfully, stupendously boring”.

In Pennsylvania, a judge ordered one county to keep voting going for an additional two hours - until 22:00 eastern time - after reports that some polling locations ran out of paper ballots.

Sarah Smith
North America Editor

This is the first election since the 6 January Capitol riots and inaccurate claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election have proliferated.

President Biden claims democracy itself is on the ballot - but most voters are more concerned about the rising cost of living.

If Republicans take control of the House of Representatives, they will attempt to block every piece of legislation Biden proposes.

They will also disband the committee investigating the Capitol riots and likely open investigations into some of President Biden's actions, possibly even try to impeach him.

The results of several governors' races, and some local ballot measures, could lead to abortion laws in states being rewritten.

And in some places candidates who say they believe the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump could win positions that will put them in charge of the 2024 presidential election.

Voting is continuing across most of the country, but some polling stations in Indiana and Kentucky have already started to pack up and count their votes.

Here's what we're watching for in the next few hours:

• Polls are due to close at 19:00 eastern time (00:00GMT) in Florida and Georgia - key states that could determine the balance of power in the US Senate
• Remaining polls will close at the same time in Kentucky, where voters are choosing whether to change their constitution to say that residents have no legal right to an abortion
• An hour later polls are due to close in Pennsylvania - another state that could swing the Senate - but the outcome probably won't be known there for hours, if not days

In the hours that follow we'll bring you the latest updates as more polls close and early results start to come in.

Alexandra Ostasiewicz
Reporting from Kentucky

Sharon Williams estimates that she's worked nearly 30 elections in her 72 years, but even she was impressed by the turnout at the polling site in Louisville, Kentucky where she is working this election day.

"Heaven's to Betsy there was a line at the door this morning!" she said recalling the queue that formed nearly an hour before doors opened.

For Williams, and many of the voters we spoke with, one of the biggest motivators to come out and vote is a ballot measure that could enshrine a restriction on abortion rights in the state constitution.

Williams, who describes herself as Catholic and pro-choice, is hoping the measure will fail. But the issue has also motivated anti-abortion voters and for now it’s still too early to tell which side will win on the contentious issue.

Image source, Getty Images

Polls have just closed in parts of Indiana - and the contest to represent the state's first congressional district in the US House of Representatives is being closely watched.

First-term Democrat Frank Mrvan is locked in a tough re-election battle against Republican Jennifer Ruth-Green, a former Air Force pilot.

The district has historically tilted toward Democrats but is considered a "toss-up" this year as voters express frustration over inflation.

Defeat for Mrvan could signal that his party is in for a tough night.

Holly Honderich
BBC News, Kentucky

According to early exit polls, abortion policy drove nearly three in 10 Americans to vote - almost as many people who voted because of inflation.

In Kentucky, the issue is literally on the ballot. Today, voters in this southern, conservative state are deciding whether to change their constitution to say that Kentucky does not provide a right to abortion.

The vote will be a crucial test of support for abortion rights and the bans that have swept the country since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in the summer.

In Louisville, in the days before the election, voters were intensely divided on an issue with very little middle ground.

Read more here from the campaign in Kentucky

The first polls of the election are now closing, and vote counts beginning.

Polls have closed in parts of Indiana and Kentucky, which is split across two time zones.

In Indiana, there is a competitive race for a House seat, while in Kentucky, voters are deciding on whether to add an amendment to the state constitution on limiting abortion rights.

Importance of abortion issue could buoy Democratic hopespublished at 22:47 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2022

22:47 GMT 8 November 2022

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

It’s no shock that the first batch of exit polls show that the economy is the top issue on voters’ minds these midterm elections.

Opinion polls have been indicating this for months.

That abortion ranks a significant second, however, is a surprise – and could buoy Democratic hopes that the issue is motivating their base to vote in unexpectedly high numbers.

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

As we've just reported, 32% of US midterm election voters say inflation was the issue that mattered most to them as they headed to the polls today. Meanwhile, six in 10 voters say their bottom line has been impacted by the rise in petrol prices.

Although these are early exit polls it's clear that money is top of mind for Americans – and Democrats are likely to be the ones taking the blame.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Since 2021, when US President Joe Biden took office, the economy, by many standard measures, has been going gangbusters, surging nearly 6% last year as it recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Even in the most recent quarter, the country clocked a respectable 2.6% annual growth rate, while the unemployment rate has below 4% to lows last seen decades ago.

But all that can feel pretty abstract, compared to the daily wear-and-tear of rising prices. The average household is estimated to be paying roughly $460 more a month to afford the same things as last year.

As the Central Bank raises borrowing costs to tackle the inflation problem, it has brought other unwelcome changes: a 20% fall in the stock market, home of many people’s retirement savings, and the highest mortgage rates in 20 years.

That’s the kind of economic data that hits home and sends confidence plummeting – a little if you’re a Democrat and a lot if you’re Republican. Enough to decide an election.

We're getting the first indication of what's driven Americans to the polls with the first round of exit poll data.

Rising prices and abortion policy were the top issues in voters’ minds as they cast their ballots, according to the first release of data from the national exit poll.

About three in 10 voters cited inflation as the most important, and three in 10 voters cited abortion as the most important, according to the Edison research exit poll.

Image source, National Hurricane Center

As Floridians head to the polls, an unusual November storm is making its way onto the shores of Palm Beach.

Tropical storm Nicole is right now about 395 miles (640km) east of West Palm Beach in Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 km/h).

The storm appears to be intensifying, the Center said, and is expected to become a hurricane on Wednesday - when Florida will begin to feel its effects.

The NHC has warned that Nicole will cause a "dangerous storm surge" along much of Florida's east coast and parts of coastal Georgia. The surge will bring with it large and damaging waves, and flash flooding is expected in some parts of Florida due to heavy rains.

Of course, Florida is still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm that killed 146 people in the state - making it the deadliest since 1935.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Florida

Floridians are voting just as a rare November storm, that will likely reach hurricane strength, is headed their way.

The weather is holding up and we've seen a steady stream of voters at a polling site in Miami Beach, along the famous Collins Avenue.

Speaking to voters helps one better understand Florida's move to the right.

On one hand, you have voters like Ray Cruz and Carol Blumenfeld who voted, but do not trust the election results from 2020. Carol says she doesn’t want the "woke" attitude in Florida and believes Democrats are socialists, echoing former President Trump’s key talking points.

On the other hand, there are self-described moderates, such as Marla Susser, who are concerned about people "blindly" believing fraud claims that have been refuted, yet still feeling that the left and right have become too extreme.

Either way, it may not be great news for Democrats.