Nadine Yousif
BBC News

Image source, Ulster County Board of Elections

We're moving briefly to the eastern US where an 'I voted' sticker designed by a teenager is all the rage at voting booths in New York's Ulster County, where early voting in US midterm elections is happening for the first time in the state's history.

So far, around 10,000 people have voted already in the first five days of early voting, election commissioner John Quigley tells me.

He's noticed particular enthusiasm for a special 'I voted' sticker that folks get when they're done filling out their ballot.

The sticker, designed by 14-year-old Hudson Rowan at a local county contest, external, might be familiar to some - it went viral earlier this year and made international headlines.

The design is rather spectacular, featuring a six-legged creature with a skull-like head, colourful hair and teeth and bloodshot eyes next to 'I voted' written in bold, red letters.

When asked about why the sticker is so popular, Quigley's answer was simple: "It represents how we all feel right now about politics."

Image source, Getty Images

President Joe Biden is focusing on western US today, with campaign events in Albuquerque, New Mexico and later in San Diego, California.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump will be busy in Iowa, where he is scheduled to speak at a rally for Republican Governor Kim Reynolds and Senator Chuck Grassley - both seeking re-election.

The rally will be held in Sioux City, a hub of northwest Iowa's conservative base, with Trump scheduled to speak at 20:00 EST (00:00 GMT).

Both Reynolds and Grassley are favoured to win on 8 November, though the race is closer than expected between Grassley and his Democrat opponent Mike Franken.

Trump comfortably won in Iowa in 2016 and 2020 and could likely offer Grassley a boost.

The former president has been fairly active ahead of this year's midterm elections - more so than other past presidents.

He has weighed in on almost 200 races, and Iowa's rally marks the first of four rallies Trump has scheduled over the weekend in support of Republican candidates.

Biden wrapped up his remarks in Albuquerque a short while ago.

Speaking at community college, Biden said the younger generation represents the "best educated, most talented, least prejudiced, most generous generation" in American history.

In a pitch to those voters, he stressed: "You represent the best of us, and your generation is not going to be ignored, you will not be shunned, you will not be silenced."

He highlighted Democratic policies on gun safety laws and infrastructure.

He added: "The first black woman on the Supreme Court of the United States has been appointed.

"I've appointed more federal judges who are women and African-American than every other president in history combined. And the most significant commitment to climate change we've ever engaged in."

On the midterm campaign trail, Republicans have talked of "Joe Biden's recession", but President Biden says the economy is "as strong as hell".

In the first three months of this year, the US economy shrank by 1.6%, and then by 0.6% in the second quarter (up to June).

However, the latest quarterly figures show positive growth.

President Biden has repeatedly pointed to strong growth in jobs as a major achievement.

Data for US non-farm jobs (which covers about 80% of the labour force) shows strong growth - up by about 10 million in September from in January 2021.

However, Mr Biden has benefited from a sharp rebound in economic activity as the country has emerged from pandemic lockdowns.

In September this year, unemployment was down to 3.5% - about the same level it was at in January 2020 under President Trump just before the pandemic.

However, when price rises are taken into account, real wages - adjusted for inflation - have been falling under President Biden.

He has faced criticism for rising petrol prices in particular. The average gas price in the US has gone from about $2.39 per gallon when he entered office, to about $3.76 as of 31 October.

Read more from BBC Reality Check.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

As ever when a political vote looms, the economy is at the forefront of many people's minds in the US.

Only this year, the Biden administration oversaw the Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to curb inflation by reducing the deficit, lowering prescription drug prices, and investing into domestic energy production.

Part of the president's pitch to New Mexico voters today has been on economic measures.

Yet new polling, by left-wing think-tank Data for Progress, external, shows only 39% of Americans know the Act has even been signed into law. Meanwhile 27% think it's still being debated in Congress.

Despite the fact more than half of people support the Act, Data for Progress suggests its lack of awareness could be down to the number of people seeing political ads on it (63% say they haven't seen one).

"As Democrats work to keep their majority in Congress, it’s crucial that voters are aware of what Democrats have accomplished in the past two years," the think-tank writes in its analysis.

President Biden is now speaking in Albuquerque, New Mexico, about his student-loan forgiveness plan.

But as we reported earlier, his plan has faced some legal challenges, particularly in six Republican-led states who want loan cancellation blocked in their state.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the president will contrast his plan with Republican pushback.

"If state Republican officials get their way, tens of millions of borrowers will be robbed of their opportunity to get this extra breathing room as they prepare to restart loan payments next year," she said.

Biden is also in the state to help boost incumbent Governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has a small lead on Republican challenger Mark Ronchetti, according to opinion polls.

Grace Conley
BBC News

President Biden is making a pitch to younger voters today in New Mexico. But what about young candidates?

Two 25-year-olds have a chance to make history this midterm election cycle.

In New Hampshire, Republican Karoline Leavitt is running in the state’s 1st Congressional District against Democratic incumbent, Chris Pappas. Across the country in Orlando, Florida, Democratic candidate Maxwell Alejandro Frost is running for his seat in Congress against Republican Calvin Wimbish.

If elected, they will become the first Gen Z members of Congress. At 25-year-old both Frost and Leavitt just meet the age requirements to serve in the U.S. House.

Frost won the primary election with more than 34 percent of the votes. The young Democrat is of Cuban descent and a former ACLU organiser and Fight For Our Lives activist.

Leavitt's political involvement started in the Trump White House as she worked as a Presidential Writer and Assistant Press Secretary in the press office. Later, she worked as the communications director for Republican Congresswoman, Elise Stefanik.

Image source, Reuters

Election day is still five days away, but nearly 32 million voters have already cast their votes across the nation, according to data from the United States Elections Project.

Data shows a surge in early voting interest compared to the 2018 midterm elections, with more mail-in ballots so far than in-person early voting.

As per Gallup, known for its opinion polls, 41% of registered voters plan to vote early, up from 34% in 2018 midterms, and Democrats are more likely to vote early than Republicans.

Most states allow early voting and the numbers had surged to record levels in the 2020 presidential election, when the pandemic was still raging and Covid-19 vaccines were not yet available.

The high numbers led to false accusations of voter fraud from then President Donald Trump, who complained of “rigged votes” when the counting began for mail-in ballots and his lead against President Biden started shrinking.

The rise in early voting numbers has led to some complaints of potential voter fraud - though officials have expressed confidence in the security of the elections.

There have also been reports of voter intimidation coming in from a few early voting locations.

Image source, Getty Images

US president Joe Biden has landed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he is scheduled to speak about his student-loan forgiveness plan.

The plan, first announced in August, will cancel up to $10,000 (£8,947) of federal student loan debt for people who earn less than $125,000 a year.

It is estimated the programme would cost $30bn annually over the next decade.

The plan has faced some legal challenges, particularly in six Republican-led states who want loan cancellation blocked in their state.

Those states were successful in temporarily blocking Biden's plan, after a federal appeals court ruled on 21 October that student-loan forgiveness be put on hold while it considers the applications from the states who want it scrapped.

This has left the programme - and the 22 million Americans who applied for debt relief - in limbo.

While the issue is before the courts, a Wall Street Journal, external poll signals the public remains divided about loan forgiveness - 48% of people favour it, with high support from black, Latino and younger voters, while 47% oppose it.

Peter Bowes
Reporting from California

Image source, Getty Images

While all eyes are on the race to control Congress, Americans are also voting in mayoral races around the country.

It is a key role, but in Los Angeles the mayor does not share the wide powers of counterparts in some other cities.

The election here is nonpartisan, with the candidates running as individuals rather than party choices, although political considerations still loom large.

Two Democrats are vying to replace the current mayor, Eric Garcetti, external, who has fulfilled two terms. Karen Bass serves in the US House of Representatives and was chair of the Congressional Black Caucus until last year. She was touted as a possible running mate for Joe Biden in 2020.

The other candidate is Rick Caruso, a one-time Republican, billionaire businessman and former president of the Los Angeles Police Commission.

The winner will have to deal with a city council racism row and both candidates have pledged to tackle the dogged problem of homelessness, which is high on the priority list for many Angelenos.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Oregon, a bastion of progressive liberal Democratic governance, may be poised to elect its first Republican governor in 40 years.

The reason for the potential upset is two-fold: a third party candidate has split the Democratic party ticket, and Oregon's richest man - and founder of Nike - has poured big bucks of his own money into defeating the Democrats' nominee.

The Democrats have tapped long-time state lawmaker Tina Kotek.

Kate Brown, the current Democratic governor, is leaving office as the most disliked governor in America, according to polls. Republicans are doing everything they can to convince the public that a vote for Kotek is the same as a vote for Brown.

Image source, Getty Images

Betsy Johnson previously served in the Oregon legislature as a Democrat. She is running on social issues, such as bringing down crime and reducing the number of unhoused people that are seen populating city streets around Portland, Oregon's largest city.

Phil Knight, the Nike founder and also one of the world's richest men has donated more than $3m to her campaign.

But Knight really wants Republican Christine Drazan to win – she also previously served in the Oregon legislature.

Drazan has branded herself a "fighter" who will work to represent Oregonians all over the state, including the rural interior.

Image source, Getty Images

Unlike in California, abortion protections are enshrined in the state's constitution in Oregon.

Although several states have laws on the books saying abortion is legal, Oregon in 1983 became the first state to write into the state charter.

Republican governor candidate Christine Drazan has said that she is against abortion, but acknowledged that it would remain legal in Oregon no matter who wins next week.

“Abortion is legal in Oregon,” Drazan said in a debate last month.

“And as governor, it will remain so. And people from other states would be able to come into Oregon to receive abortion services."

Stats show that Oregon documented a rise in abortion services in the wake of the Supreme Court's invalidation of a national right to abortion.

Peter Bowes
Reporting from California

It is perplexing to some that in a state run by Democrats, where abortion is legal, that voters are being asked to support an amendment to the state constitution that would guarantee the right to an abortion and contraceptives.

Isn't that the case already?

But backers of the proposition do not want to leave anything to chance - including the possibility that California's abortion laws could be challenged in state courts.

If passed - and that's likely - the constitution will be changed explicitly to ban California from denying or interfering with a person’s reproductive freedom.

Opponents say the move is unnecessary, since it would merely enshrine existing rights. Critics also argue that the amendment may in fact extend the point, during a pregnancy, when an abortion is allowed.

It is currently permitted up to about 24 weeks or the point of foetal viability. The courts may have to clarify this later.

Image source, Getty Images

President Biden is due to hold campaign events in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and San Diego, California, later on Thursday - giving us a chance to look at some of the issues of particular interest in the western US.

The divides between Democrats and Republicans - liberals and conservatives - exist here, as they do in every state.

The US West has been locked in a drought for years, with estimates saying that it is now the worst it's been in over 1,000 years.

Water usage cuts have caused a huge rift between the agriculture industry and residential communities, particularly in California, which accounts for much of the produce grown in the US.

During the pandemic, states in the west saw their populations boom as workers left towns and cities and moved to more placid country surroundings - sometimes causing tensions with their new neighbours.

Wildfires are also a persistent issue each summer, as well as immigration in some of these western states.

New Mexico and California, where Biden will be today, both border Mexico, while other western states like Montana, Idaho, and Washington border Canada.

We've answered a batch of your queries on the midterms over the past couple of hours - but we still want to hear from you if you have any burning quesitons.

You an submit your questions here - and we'll answer more of them next week. We know the midterms are confusing - no question is a silly question.

You can also get in touch in the following ways:

• Email: yourquestions@bbc.co.uk

• Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay, external
• Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

Image source, .

Can Roe v Wade get codified if Democrats lose the House?published at 17:58 Greenwich Mean Time 3 November 2022

17:58 GMT 3 November 2022

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from New York

Martyn Evans from the UK asks: can Roe get codified if Democrats win the Senate but lose the House?

To quickly recap our readers: Roe v Wade was a landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision that gave women the constitutional right to an abortion in the US up until the point of fetal viability, about 22-25 weeks of pregnancy.

It held back attempts by anti-abortion lawmakers to ban the procedure. But the current, conservative-controlled Supreme Court struck down those protections this past summer, prompting Democrats to try and enshrine the right to an abortion through legislation in Congress.

Those efforts failed, however, because of procedural rules in the US Senate that prevented the bill from passing.

So to answer your question Martyn, the answer is, simply: No.

Democrats have no hope of passing a law codifying the right to an abortion through Congress if they do not control both chambers.

As I mentioned in my answer to Komgbenda, for a bill to actually become national law in the US, it must pass both chambers of the US Congress: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Then, the president has to sign it.

So if Republicans, whose party platform is primarily anti-abortion, take over one or both chambers of Congress, there’s probably no chance of a bill codifying Roe v Wade’s protections making it to President Biden’s desk.

Will other Republicans run in the 2024 presidential election?published at 17:38 Greenwich Mean Time 3 November 2022

17:38 GMT 3 November 2022

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Kaye Vick from the US asks: are there other possible Republican presidential candidates besides Donald Trump?

Not only are there possible Republican presidential candidates besides Donald Trump, there are already probable candidates who seemed poised to run no matter what the former president does in 2024.

Trump’s Vice-President, Mike Pence, is setting the stage for a bid, as is his Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

Other potential candidates are exploring their options but, at the moment, seem inclined to wait to see whether the former president takes the plunge.

Most prominent among these is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose outspoken conservatism, particularly on social issues, is popular among the Republican base. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is another possible contender.

Both he and DeSantis are currently running for re-election in their states and could use victories in November as a launching pad for their national campaigns.

Given Trump’s popularity among Republican voters and a massive campaign war chest he’s built up over the past two years, he could effectively clear most of the Republican field if he decides to run.

If he stays out, however, expect a free-for-all similar to 2016, where dozens of candidates of varying prominence and potential jump into the race.

Where do governors fit in the power hierarchy?published at 17:25 Greenwich Mean Time 3 November 2022

17:25 GMT 3 November 2022

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from New York

Colin from the UK asks what role governors have and where do they fit into the power hierarchy in relation to state senators. What do each have control over?

Most US states are set up like individual versions of the US federal government, with a three-branch system – an executive, a legislature, and a supreme court – keeping checks and balances on each other.

Think of governors as the presidents of individual US states. They are the chief executive, and have very significant power to shape life in their states.

Other important jobs at the state executive level, which sit beneath the governor, are the lieutenant governor, kind of like a state’s vice president, and the secretary of state, which oversees elections and other administrative duties.

If governors are the “president” of the state, then state senators are kind of like members of a state’s “Congress”. This structure is parallel to the governor, but if those bodies are controlled by the same political party, they will often act in concert.

While national races in the US like president, US Senate, and US House of Representatives get most of the attention, it’s the state-level contests that actually have the most power to dictate everyday Americans’ lives.

Abortion is perhaps the most glaring example. After the US Supreme Court struck down national protections for abortion, they turned the decision of whether to allow the procedure to the states.

States whose governors’ and state legislatures were controlled by Republicans swiftly moved to ban or severely limit the procedure, while US states primarily controlled by Democrats have worked to expand access.

Would a Republican Congress impeach Biden?published at 17:07 Greenwich Mean Time 3 November 2022

17:07 GMT 3 November 2022

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

If the House and Senate both go Republican, what is the likelihood of the House starting an impeachment against US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris? Asks Paul Douglas, from Arizona in the US.

There’s already talk about impeachment proceedings, although on what grounds the Republicans would do so is still a bit up in the air.

One of the most common targets appears to be Joe Biden’s handling of the surge of undocumented migrants coming across the US-Mexico border.

Such a move would be unusual, however, as previous impeachment proceedings have focused on presidential misdeeds not questions of policy.

The bottom line, however, is that grounds for impeachment is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives says it is – and if there’s a will to impeach the president among the Republican base, the legislators will find a way.

It requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate to convict and remove a president from office, however, and even in the rosiest midterm scenarios for Republicans they will not approach a majority of that size in the chamber.

So like the two Democratic impeachments of Donald Trump, any Republican move on Biden will ultimately be a fruitless venture unless there is significant bipartisan support for it.

The presidency isn't on the ballot, so let's take a step back and answer the question: What are people actually voting for in the midterms?

The midterm elections decide the makeup of the US Congress, which has two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

These votes are held every two years and when they fall in the middle of the president's four-year term in office, they are called the midterms.

There are 100 senators - two per state - who sit for six-year terms. The House of Representatives is much larger, with 435 members that represent smaller US districts. They sit for two-year terms.

All House seats and one-third of Senate seats are up for grabs this year.

The elections are important because Congress has the power to pass or block laws in the US. Here’s a useful breakdown of who controls which part of Congress now, and what’s at stake in this election.