Image source, Getty Images

Yesterday, the US Justice Department announced, external it would send federal election day monitors to 64 jurisdictions across the country.

The reason, they said, is to ensure voting in these areas happens in compliance with federal voting law. The practice is not new - it dates back to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, and 44 monitors were deployed in the 2020 election.

But late last night, the administration of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis - who is running for re-election - has sent a letter to the Justice Department saying that monitors deployed to three Florida counties will not be allowed to enter polling places under state law.

Federal election monitors "would be counterproductive and could potentially undermine confidence in the election," wrote Brad McVay, General Counsel for the Florida Department of State in a letter obtained by the Washington Post., external

McVay added the Justice Department did not specify why it is deploying monitors to Florida, and that none of the counties were accused of voting rights violations.

He said the state will be sending its own monitors instead.

In response, the Justice Department has said it will still have election monitors stationed outside polling locations in Florida.

The dispute comes amid growing scepticism of the integrity of elections by the Republicans, some of whom believe the 2020 election was stolen despite no credible evidence of this.

We've reported earlier that 20% of vote tabulators in Maricopa County, one of the largest and most-populous in Arizona, were down early on election day.

Officials say they have now found a solution to the problem - which they say is tied to printer settings on the machines - and have fixed the issue at 17 locations in the county.

"We are working to resolve this issue at the remaining locations," Maricopa County's Elections Department said in a statement.

Around 60 voting centres were impacted by the technical issues.

Marianna Spring
Disinformation and social media correspondent

As US voters head to the polls, I'm checking in with my Undercover Voters social media accounts.

These five profiles I've created to track what US voters can be recommended and exposed to online ahead of the midterm elections. The characters are based on data from the Pew research centre.

It's Populist Right Britney - who follows pages on social media opposing billionaires and abortion and lots in support of former President Donald Trump - who is coming across the most posts about voting machines.

On Instagram and Twitter she has seen posts that are capitalising problems with broken voting machines to fuel existing narratives online about rigged elections, which began back in 2020 but have continued tospread and evolve online right up to the midterms.

One Instagram post declares that machines are down in Mercer County New Jersey and then asks for money for a fundraising campaign to "Help us expose voter Fraud". Others accounts recommended to her have shared posts suggesting issues with voting machines prove the midterm vote will be rigged. Several of these accounts also feature posts associated with the Three Percenters militia group, who were linked to the riots at the Capitol Riots.

On Twitter, several viral posts reference broken voting machines and suggest the voter fraud they falsely claimed occurred in 2022 is happening again. There is no evidence to suggest that the broken machines mean any kind of electoral fraud is occurring. But, regardless, a handful of posts are also encouraging protest at some of these sites.

Both Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, and Twitter have made various commitments to tackling disinformation and providing accurate information as voters head to the polls.

Former US President Donald Trump has responded to journalists who asked if he'd consider running for presidency in 2024, by saying his announcement next week would be "a very exciting day for a lot of people".

Speaking after casting his vote in Florida, Trump referred to comments he made at a campaign rally in Ohio earlier, when he said he said he would make "a very big announcement" on 15 November.

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Two poll workers in Johns Creek, Georgia, were removed before polls opened this morning after social media posts appeared to show them attending the Capitol riots on 6 January 2021, according to interim Deputy Secretary of State, Gabriel Sterling.

Fulton County officials removed the two poll workers, reportedly a mother and son, after the posts emerged, the Washington Post, external first reported.

The social media post is being investigated, according to Nadine Williams, Fulton County interim director of registration and elections, CNN reported., external

"We decided to remove them until we could complete the investigation... We just want to make sure the election is secure,” Williams said.

Gary O'Donoghue
Washington Correspondent

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After record numbers of voters cast their ballots early in Georgia, election officials are reporting attendance at the state’s more than 2,000 polling locations across 159 counties as "steady" with few lines at the moment.

Changes to election law here in Georgia also mean election officials are able to begin the process of tabulating those early votes before polls close at 7pm local time.

More than 70% of mail in votes have already been returned (some 234,000) and officials are saying that the changes will mean Georgia’s results will come in quicker than before.

All counties have to report by 10pm this evening how many votes they have outstanding. The counts have to be completed by 5pm tomorrow.

Shayan Sardarizadeh
BBC Monitoring

Some of the debunked viral claims from the 2020 election are seeing a resurgence hours into polling day.

One of them is "sharpiegate", the false claim that a voter’s ballot won’t be counted if they use a sharpie pen - permanent markers -to fill it.

It was widely circulated in Arizona two years ago, despite the fact election authorities confirmed the claim was baseless.

"La Grange Precinct 89 voters report sharpies being used on ballots, which isn't allowed," read a tweet by an Illinois-based account earlier today.

The claim was also reported by right-wing outlet The Gateway Pundit.

However, the independent Illinois State Board of Elections said that "sharpie pens are the preferred ballot-markingmethod for many voting systems"., external

It added that ballots are "intentionally designed so that bleed-through does not cause a problem".

Twitter has since flagged the original post as "misleading".

Sophie Long
Reporting from Arizona

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Arizona is one of the most important electoral battle grounds in the United States, arguably serving a microcosm of what’s happening across the country.

Inflation rates are higher than the national average. Immigration and the security, or lack of, at the southern border with Mexico, is felt here more acutely than in most other states.

The effects of climate change can be seen and felt here in the wildfires and drought. And the legality of abortion swings like the state itself.

Historically Arizona was a reliably Republican state. But in 2020 Democratic President Joe Biden won by less than half a percentage point, and former President Donald Trump tried to pressure election officials to overturn the result.

Now the Grand Canyon State is home to some of the most intense political fighting in the country. The polls have never been so narrow, the chasm between candidates has never been so great.

The elections for both the Senate and governor are likely to be close, and those overseeing it know the eyes of the nation are upon them.

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Kari Lake, Republican candidate for governor in Arizona, says she began receiving calls about voting machines being down within minutes of waking up on election day.

"They've gotta fix this problem this is incompetency," Lake said at a press conference. "I hope it’s not malice and when we win there’s going to be a come to Jesus for elections in Arizona."

Officials in Maricopa County, one of the largest and most-populous in the state, have fielded numerous complaints about issues with vote tabulators. Earlier, county Chairman Bill Gates announced about 20% of vote tabulators were down in the county and officials were working "as quickly as possible" to address the issue.

However, the county insists that technical errors, while unfortunate, are not out of the ordinary and that backup measures are in place to ensure all votes are counted, including filing completed ballots in a secure lockbox, similar to absentee voting.

Lake encouraged voters to remain in line to cast their ballots. When asked if she would be confident in the results of the election - even if she were to win - Lake said her administration would be focused on election reform.

"I'm just not confident in the people who we elected to run these elections," she said.

Image source, Reuters

Mike Wendling
US disinformation reporter

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There have been some problems with voting machines in Maricopa County in Arizona, which includes the state’s largest city, Phoenix.

Election officials in Maricopa County say they’re working to fix the issue, which is affecting vote tabulators at about a fifth of polling places. They say there are backup systems to ensure that votes are counted.

The Republican candidate for governor Kari Lake, who has cast doubt on the electoral system and has repeated debunked claims about vote fraud in the 2020 election, is urging people to stay in line and vote.

Lake has not so far alleged that the voting malfunctions are an indication of anything sinister. But she's also tweeted that going to a different polling place means your vote "likely will not count".

That’s not necessarily the case. One local journalist reporting for an election-focused non-profit, external says that as long as a voter “checks out” of a polling location, they can go to another one and their vote will be counted.

Reports of problems in a state where counting took a long time in 2020 have inevitably touched off unproven allegations and insinuations of dirty tricks. Donald Trump has taken to his Truth Social network to complain. But at this point there is no evidence of foul play – only online rumours.

It's worth pointing out that elections in the state are overseen by Lake's opponent, Democrat Katie Hobbs, who is currently the Arizona secretary of state.

However, elections in Maricopa County are run by a local official named Bill Gates, chairman of the county board of supervisors, external. Gates is a Republican.

Image source, Getty Images

Polls have opened across the US and voting is well under way for the midterm elections. Let's take a look at some key states that could swing Congress for the Democrats or the Republicans.

Pennsylvania: The state’s attorney general, Democrat Josh Shapiro, is facing off against Doug Mastriano, a state senator backed by Donald Trump. The winner will be able to choose the state’s election officials for 2024 and can block - or advance - voting restrictions in the state.

Georgia: Two years ago, Biden became the first Democrat to win Georgia since 1992.

The race is expected to be a close-run affair as Democrat Raphael Warnock goes up against Trump-backed football star Herschel Walker, who is standing on a strongly anti-abortion platform, despite claims from two women that he paid for them both to have a termination.

Arizona: In 2020, President Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential nominee to win Arizona since Bill Clinton won the state in 1996.

The governor race in Arizona pits Trump-backed Republican and former TV news anchor Kari Lake against Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who rose to national prominence for fighting back against Trump’s claims of election fraud.

Like the Senate, Democrats narrowly control the House of Representatives - that's the chamber that decides which laws are voted on.

A party needs 218 seats to hold the majority.

The Democrats are defending 220 seats, and the Republicans 212.

So the Republicans need an overall gain of six seats to win the House.

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The US Senate is split 50/50 between Republicans and Democrats (who have two independent senators siding with them).

Currently, Democrats control the Senate as US Vice-President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, holds the tie-breaker vote.

But the Democrats’ narrow hold means a net loss of even one seat would tilt power in favour of the Republicans.

You can read more here about how races in Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania could determine the future of the Senate, as all are key toss-up states that are too close to call.

Image source, EPA

For those unfamiliar with the ins and outs of US politics, there are a few key terms you need to know.

Let's start with midterms themselves: these are elections held every two years that fall in the middle of a president’s four-year term in office. They decide the make-up of Congress.

Congress is the legislative body that makes nationwide laws. It’s composed of two separate chambers, the House of Representatives-most often known just as the House - and the Senate.

The House has 435 members, with each state given a number of seats based on population. It decides which laws are voted on. While all 435 seats are up for re-election, most are considered safely “held” by one party.

The Senate, on the other hand, has 100 members - two per state - and can block or approve laws, confirm appointments made by the president, and, more rarely, conduct investigations against the president.

Image source, EPA

Let's take a step back for a second, and look at the wider picture.

While President Joe Biden isn’t on the ballot, the midterms will decide who controls Congress as well as state legislatures and governors’ offices.

The outcome of these races can have a huge impact on the direction the US takes in the next few years, as well as on the fate of the president - and the party - in power.

Biden: If control of one of the two chambers of Congress goes to the Republicans, Biden will likely be thwarted in his attempts to get bills and laws passed. You can expect to see gridlock.

Abortion Rights: Both parties have proposed nationwide laws concerning abortion rights if they are in control of Congress after the midterms. At a state level, the results of governor and local races could mean further abortion restrictions in some states.

Investigations: Some Republicans have vowed to close the committee investigating the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol, and launch hearings of their own into Joe Biden’s son Hunter and his business ties to China if they win control of the House of Representatives.

Read more about why the midterms matter here.

Marianna Spring
Specialist disinformation and social media reporter

Back to the BBC’s Undercover Voters: five profiles I've created to track what US voters can be recommended and exposed to online ahead of the midterm elections.

As I've checked into each of my undercover voters' accounts over the past two months, it's Populist Right Britney's that have been most frequently exposed to violent and misleading content.

When setting up her account, I liked pages and accounts that supported former President Donald Trump, opposed mandatory vaccination and questioned the motives of billionaires.

Now, on Instagram, she has been recommended more and more accounts that made false claims about fraudulent voting and denied that President Biden won the election, using hashtags like #Trumpwon, external- and promoting conspiracy theories about the recent attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband. They also feature posts talking about female politicians - like Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris - in abusive and misogynistic terms.

Progressive Left Emma, who likes accounts about the Black Lives Matter movement, the environment and women’s rights, was recommended pages that promoted naming and shaming racists and Trump supporters, but the rhetoric had not escalated in the same way as it has for Britney’s accounts.

What I’ve seen on Britney’s accounts appears to be part of wider pattern. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) says that election conspiracy claims and abusive language aimed at politicians online have intensified in the run-up to the midterms.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, told the BBC that it has robust measures in place to combat misinformation, including partnerships with 10 fact-checking organisations in the US.

Read more here. And discover more on the Americast podcast here.

Amid polls opening and the US midterms getting started, a senior cybersecurity official has been speaking about the risk of hacking.

There's "no specific or credible threat" to disrupt [the midterm] election infrastructure, the unnamed official is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying during a press briefing this morning.

Election security emerged as a major issue in the US after officials found Russia interfered in the 2016 US presidential, using a campaign of hacking and propaganda to hurt Hillary Clinton's chances of winning against Donald Trump.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) says it's planning to set up an Elections Day Operations Centre to monitor activity around today's midterms.

According to Kim Wyman, CISA's security advisor, claims this will help identify "when something goes wrong".

"And with 8,800 election jurisdictions across the country, something will go wrong somewhere," she adds.

Barbara Plett Usher
North America correspondent, BBC News

Over in Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano is one of the best examples of a candidate backed by a new religious right that some claim are driven by the idea of Christian Nationalism.

He's a Pennsylvania senator running for governor who’s championed the false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. For the midterms, he’s campaigning as a Christian warrior fighting for conservative Christian values.

Image source, Getty Images

He casts himself and his followers as God's chosen people who must take back the country. Mastriano is supported by a revivalist movement of self-proclaimed prophets and apostles.

One of them, Julie Green, says God gave her a prophecy that this was Mastriano’s time and that he should move forward with the plan he’d been given for the "great steal" to be overturned.

At a campaign event, she told me God wanted Mastriano to save Pennsylvania from its unjust laws. Several voters I met there said they believed Mastriano had been appointed by God.

Watch more - America: Faith on the Front Line

Michelle Fleury
Reporting from New York

Image source, Getty Images

Historically, US stocks rise after the midterms, especially if government is split.

The S&P 500 has an eight-decade record of rising, external in the one-year period after midterm elections.

But after taking a battering these past few months, is 2022 the year US financial markets buck that trend?

Investors expect Republicans to take control of the House of Representatives - and possibly the Senate - when results start to come in.

Jan Hatzius, chief economist at investment bank Goldman Sachs, believes that because traders are predicting a Republican win, financial markets might have a "muted" reaction if that happens.

Gridlock in Washington, with a divided Congress and president, is the preferred outcome on Wall Street because it removes the uncertainty about what policies might emerge.

What matters most to financial markets right now is high inflation and interest rates, not Democrats and Republicans.

Let's take a look at some of the images of the day as millions of Americans cast their vote in the midterm elections:

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA

Image source, AFP

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA