Image source, Getty Images

Talking of "razor close" races, two that fall in the 'must-watch' category will play out in Pennsylvania.

So, it's not a surprise that the state is also in the middle of a legal battle over mail-in ballots.

Several voting rights groups have filed a lawsuit to force officials in the state to count mail-in ballots returned on time by voters, even if there’s no date on the ballot envelope.

The move comes in response to a Republican lawsuit filed in October to stop undated ballots from being counted.

Last Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said that ballots without dates should be set aside.

Under state law, mail-in ballots can be counted only if they arrive before polls close on Election Day.

The lawsuit argues that not counting ballots returned on time but without dates on their outer envelopes would amount to a violation of the Civil Rights Act.

The number of mail-in ballots missing dates on their outer envelopes are expected to be a very small percentage of the overall ballots cast.

But in a tightly contested race like Pennsylvania, they have the potential to alter the outcome.

Gary O'Donoghue
Reporting from Georgia

We’re sitting two rows from the back of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Downtown Atlanta, once the base for Martin Luther King Jr. A large wooden cross hangs from the ceiling, and every worshipper gets their own little communion kit with a wafer and a creamer sized plastic pot stocked with a tipple of communion wine.

Two days before the Reverend Raphael Warnock attempts to defend his crucial seat for the Democrats in the Senate, the politics is subtly mixed into the scripture.

Lots of metaphors about transition with a focus on Moses and his straight-talking with God.

“Moses was a brother” says Warnock, drawing laughter from the faithful.

And then a little star dust. Spike Lee emerges for a senatorial hug; and the entire Harvard Men’s basketball team stand up; they’re playing his old college, Morehouse, tomorrow.

“I’m praying for Morehouse” jokes Warnock.

In closing he riffs about his upcoming appointment with the masses and “their sacred obligation to vote”.

“I’m feeling good,” he tells them. “I don’t know what the future holds, But I do know who holds the future.”

Is that God or the voters I wonder.

Image source, BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

As the race in the most consequential midterms in years enters its last leg, Republicans seem to be getting more and more confident about a good Tuesday night.

But the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, believes his party can maintain a majority in Congress.

"We’re going to hold this majority,” he told NBC's Meet the Press show on Sunday.

Still, he called the race “razor close”.

The New York lawmaker, who is facing a tough re-election battle of his own, said he’s “always had a tough race”, as he “beat a Republican to have this seat".

Democrats in New York, one of the bluest states in the country, face a tough challenge from the Republicans in this cycle, and the race for five House seats plus the governor's seat has turned out to be unexpectedly tight.

President Biden will be at a New York rally on Sunday evening in support of Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul, who is facing a late surge from her Republican challenger Lee Zeldin.

Image source, Getty Images

With the midterms just around the corner and election rules on people’s minds, polls show that a significant portion of US voters favour laws that make voting easier.

Let’s take a look at the numbers, all drawn from a Gallup poll released on 14 October.

•78% favour early voting

•65% are for automatic voter registration

•60% want absentee ballots sent to every eligible voter

However, a large number of Americans also favour some steps that would make voting harder:

•60% want inactive voters removed from voter lists

•59% believe that the number of drop boxes for absentee ballots should be limited

•79% are in favour of photo ID requirements for voting

The poll also shows clear partisan differences in election law policies. The most polarising policy - sending absentee ballots to all eligible voters - was favoured by 88% of Democrats, compared to only 27% of Republicans.

Jake Horton
BBC Reality Check

Since the 2020 US presidential election, new voting restrictions have been introduced in many states across the country.

Lawmakers have proposed hundreds of voting restriction bills, and dozens have passed into law largely in Republican-run states, including measures like:

• Limiting mail-in (postal) voting
• Expanding voter ID requirements
• Reducing the number of voting locations
• Shortening voting times
• Removing inactive voters from voter rolls
• Increasing voter supervision

Image source, .

20 states have passed laws that restrict voting, according to a report by the Brennan Center for Justice.

The 2020 election was held during the Covid pandemic, and voting rules were temporarily relaxed (expanded) ahead of polling to make it easier and safer for people to vote.

This contributed to record turnout levels. Since then, many states have made these voting changes permanent.

But some backers of former President Donald Trump falsely claim that there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election which, they say, contributed to President Biden's victory.

Proponents of the restrictions say they're necessary to prevent fraud at the polls.

Democrats say they make it harder for voters to cast their ballots, disenfranchising poorer, marginalised communities.

Read more by BBC Reality Check.

Image source, Getty Images

Two top Republican leaders have indicated Republican candidates will ultimately accept the results of the midterm elections.

“We want to make sure it's run fair and transparently. And then we will let the process play out, and then we will accept the results," said Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on CNN’s “State of the Union” show on Sunday morning.

Senator Rick Scott of Florida echoed similar views on NBC’s Meet The Press show when asked about accepting election results.

“Absolutely. But what we're also going to do is do everything we can to make sure they're free and fair, and if there's any shenanigans, we are ready to make sure,” he said.

More than half of Republican candidates running in the midterm elections have been categorised by CBS News as election deniers — those who have raised doubts about the validity or integrity of the 2020 presidential election.

A review of every federal and state-wide race found that 308 GOP candidates of the 597 Republicans running fall under that category.

Many of them have either dodged the question or responded in the negative when asked about the midterm elections.

For example, Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for governor of Arizona, refused to commit to accepting the results of her election saying: “I’m going to win the election, and I will accept that result.”

While President Joe Biden isn’t on the ballot, the upcoming 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

Image source, Getty Images

Two days before the polling day, nearly 39 million Americans have already cast their votes in early voting in 47 states, according to data accumulated by TargetEarly, a political data and data services firm.

Georgia shattered records with more than 2.5 million votes cast during the early voting period, which ended on Friday.

The total number of votes surpasses the 2018 midterms early voting, per the United States Elections Project.

The numbers are expected to grow even further as some states allow in-person early voting through the weekend.

Traditionally Democrats are more likely to vote early, while Republican turnout is higher on election day.

Early voting, in particular mail-in ballots, instigated legal battles in the 2020 Presidential elections - and political watchers expect the trend is likely to continue in this cycle as well.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
BBC News, Washington

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump has hinted he is likely to run for president again - but he probably won't announce until after next week's congressional elections. So what does he want to happen in the midterms?

These elections will show to what extent the Republican Party has become what former President Donald Trump's son Eric has repeatedly termed "the Trump Party".

"He literally brought in a whole new party that stands for something totally different than the wider class of the Republican Party ever stood for," Eric Trump told conservative TV network Newsmax.

But what Trump wants and what the wider party wants are not always aligned.

He has endorsed dozens of candidates for Congress as well as others running in governor races and for state legislatures.

While he's not on the ballot, many political observers see the midterms as a litmus test of his influence within the party and of his electoral viability ahead of a potential presidential bid in 2024.

Read more here.

To Americans of a certain age, the narration in a new advert from Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis may sound familiar.Set against a backdrop of black and white photos and soft piano music, the ad, tweeted by DeSantis's wife, declares that "On the eighth day" of creation, God looked down and "made a fighter" in DeSantis.

It continues: "God said I need someone to be strong, advocate truth in the midst of hysteria... so God made a fighter".

The voiceover borrows from a classic speech of American oration by the broadcaster Paul Harvey titled 'So God made a farmer', with themes familiar to US Christians.

The advert has caused quite a stir on social media. Supporters have praised the Governor for invoking Christianity, while others have criticised governor for conflating religion and politics.

Tonight, DeSantis - who's been described as both a prodigy and potential rival to former President Trump - will address supporters at nearly the same time as Trump campaigns for incumbent Sen Marco Rubio in the same state.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Florida

The building tension between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis is on public display today – as the two Republican heavyweights hold rival rallies.

Trump’s stamp of approval may have been pivotal to DeSantis getting elected back in 2018, but this time around the governor has made it clear he is going at it alone and doesn’t want or need the former president’s endorsement.

That has rankled Trump, who reportedly snubbed DeSantis’ team by not informing them of the rally in Miami ahead of time.

The former president has claimed that he “made” DeSantis and would beat him, along with everyone else in a showdown for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election.

Ultimately, that’s what this is all about.

It's less than 48 hours to go before the US midterm elections and candidates are in their final campaign sprints.

Here is what's happening today:

• President Biden will be at a New York rally in support of Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul, who is facing a late surge from her Republican challenger Lee Zeldin
• Former President Donald Trump will headline a rally in Miami with Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is up against Democratic opponent Val Demings
• Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is holding his own rally in Fort Myers
• Vice-President Kamala Harris has a campaign stop in Chicago with Governor JB Pritzker and later attends a rally for Los Angeles mayoral candidate Karen Bass
• First Lady Jill Biden is in Houston, Texas for get out the vote efforts

And we will be bringing you more from races in Arizona, Kentucky, Florida, and Georgia with our reporters on the ground in those key states.

And that’s all from the campaign trail tonight - we're pausing here for now.

Today's page was edited by Jeremy Gahagan, Paulin Kola and Jasmine Taylor-Coleman. The writers were Laura Gozzi, Chelsea Bailey and Nadine Yousif.

We will return tomorrow with more coverage of the final days in the 2022 midterm election campaign.

In the meantime, you can read our latest article here.

Image source, Reuters

A speech from former President Donald Trump rounded out a busy day on the campaign trail for Tuesday's midterm elections.

We saw Democrats and Republicans presenting duelling visions for the future of the country in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania.

• President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama reunited on stage in Philadelphia to motivate voters with speeches about hope and preserving democracy
• Biden said Tuesday's midterm elections would be a "defining moment" for the country as he backed Democratic candidates in the state
• Earlier Obama told supporters in Pittsburgh that divisions were creating a "dangerous climate" in US politics
• Later, another former president, Donald Trump, zeroed in on the rise in inflation and violent crime - as well as false claims of election fraud - to turn out his supporters in a speech in Latrobe
• He said he wanted to see a "giant red wave" as Republicans turned out to vote in three days' time

Image source, Reuters

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from Atlanta

Voting rights activist and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams earlier took the stage at her rally in Atlanta, Georgia. She’s locked in a rematch with sitting Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican who defeated her in 2018.

“I’m here to tell you we got the power, Georgia!” she told hundreds of supporters, who had spent the previous two hours dancing to tunes from a DJ and Atlanta rappers Earth Gang.

Her supporters waved signs that showed Abrams' face alongside the line of white men who had previously served as governor of the state.

Abrams pledged that her first actions, if elected, would be to expand state-provided healthcare, and restore abortion access in the state.

Abrams spent much of her speech slamming Kemp. “We need housing in this state; affordable housing is a crisis,” she said. Of the governor, she added, “It’s time for us to evict him from his mansion.” She also promised more stringent gun control in Georgia.

She ended her speech with a rousing call and response with the crowd. “If you want more opportunity in your life say, ‘more!’” she shouted, and the crowd cheered “MORE!” back at her.

Abrams was joined by down-ballot candidates for positions like secretary of state, as well as celebrities like Tina Knowles-Lawson - mother of Beyoncé - who served as the evening’s emcee.

The rally closed with a short concert from 2Chainz, who told the crowd: “I want everyone to go vote!”

Voters in Georgia have shattered previous state records for early voting in a midterm election. As of Saturday morning, nearly 2.3 million voters had cast ballots before Election Day, according to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. During the 2018 midterm election, a total of 1.8 million ballots were cast in the state.

The total votes are "within striking distance" of the 2.6m ballots cast early in the 2020 presidential election, the Secretary's office said.

Historically, fewer voters participate in midterm elections compared to presidential elections. Georgia's midterm contests are predicted to be incredibly close, and the large turnout suggests that voters on both sides of the aisle are deeply motivated.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, .

The election for the House of Representatives is the only nationwide poll on Tuesday. The Democrats currently control the House but the latest estimates suggests the Republicans are ahead. The BBC’s US partners CBS have the Republicans on 228 seats to the Democrats' 207.

They have looked at other scenarios, too. What could happen if young people turn out in the numbers they did in 2018? In this case, things are much closer with the Democrats on 218 and the Republicans on 217.

The polls though are not predicting a high turnout for young voters - if anything the Republican lead has been growing over recent weeks.

So, what might happen if Republican voters turn out in greater numbers? In this case, CBS estimates the Republicans could reach 238 seats, a 25-seat majority over the Democrats.

You can see more on their poll here. , external

Image source, .

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Unlike recent defeated presidents, Trump has not left politics quietly.

He appears to still harbour interest in returning to the White House in 2024 - and the midterms could strengthen his hand or dash his hopes. While he's not on the ballot, dozens of his chosen candidates are running in high-profile races across the US.

The former president was able to elevate some Senate candidates, like former football player Herschel Walker in Georgia, television doctor Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and populist author JD Vance in Ohio, over more traditional Republican politicians, despite the objections of elder Republican leaders.

If they win, it could prove that his political instincts are sharp - and his brand of conservative politics has national appeal. But if Republicans fall short in Congress, and it's because of the failure of Trump's unconventional handpicked candidates, the former president could shoulder the blame.

Such an outcome would boost the hopes of Trump's presidential rivals within the party.

Both Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott are up for re-election in November, and could use the results as a springboard for their own campaign to win the Republican nomination in 2024.