Millions of Americans across the country are now busy voting - the last polling stations are due to open shortly in Hawaii.

We'll be bringing you the latest as people vote, and later, we'll carry all the results along with analysis as to what it means for the US, and for Joe Biden's presidency.

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Gary O'Donoghue
Reporting from Atlanta

A judge in Georgia has ordered one state county to extend the deadline for returning mail-in ballots for hundreds of people.

A clerical error in Cobb county north of Atlanta meant just over 1,000 people did not get sent their ballot papers.

Some have voted in person and others have been sent ballot papers by overnight mail.

But instead of 19:00 on election day, those voters will have until 14 November to get their papers back, as long as they are dated by today.

State officials have blamed “human error” for the problem.

Current waiting times to vote in Georgia are around two minutes according to election officials.

Republican Ron DeSantis, who is standing to be re-elected as governor of Florida, has also voted in the election.

Having been sworn in as governor in 2019, the 44-year-old has become one of the most recognisable figures in the Republican camp.

His stance on LGBT rights, "woke" education, Covid-19 restrictions and border security have made him popular with much of the Republican base.

He is also widely tipped to run for the Republican presidential candidate in 2024 - although, so far, he himself has not announced his intention to run for president.

Ahead of election day, polls indicated DeSantis had a comfortable lead against his rival in the Florida governor race, Democrat Charlie Crist.

Read more about DeSantis here.

Former President Donald Trump has spoken outside his local polling station in Palm Beach, Florida, where he was to cast his vote, alongside his wife Melania.

Speaking to reporters, he said: "I think we're going to have a great night."

Asked whether he would stand for the presidency again in two years' time, he said: "I think Tuesday will be a very exciting day for a lot of people."

Chelsea Bailey
Reporting from Washington

Election officials in Arizona's hotly contested Maricopa County say they're working "as quickly as possible" to address technical issues with voting tabulators.

"We've got about 20% of the locations out there where there's an issue with the tabulator, where some of the ballots that after people have voted they try and run them through tabulator, and they're not going through," said County Chairman Bill Gates in a video posted by the elections department.

He added they were trying to fix the issue as soon as possible, but if voters encountered difficulties, they could also put their ballot into a secure box as a back-up. He also said people could go to another voting location in the county to cast their ballot if they preferred.

This morning, a video quickly spread online showing , externalelection officials in Anthem, Arizona, attempting to reassure voters after a machine went down. Though the worker insisted all ballots would be counted - even if by hand - voters standing in the queue were upset.

In a country as big as the United States, technical difficulties on voting days are inevitable. But in today's political climate, where voter mistrust is at an all-time high, any technical difficulties on election day could add fuel to false claims of election fraud.

Image source, .

Back to the key races in the elections now. Perhaps speaking to the Democrats uphill struggle to retain control of Congress, one of their most experienced politicians in Ohio is facing stiff competition in a Senate race from a relative outsider in Republican terms.

The midwestern state voted solidly Republican in two consecutive presidential elections and this year’s race was not originally thought to be a close one.

But the contest between serving congressman Tim Ryan and Donald Trump-backed JD Vance looks to be going down to the wire. Both men cast their ballots earlier.

Image source, Reuters

Ryan, who has been a Democratic member of the House of Representatives since 2003, had an unsuccessful run for the presidency in 2020 and a failed challenge to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's position in 2016.

He is currently neck and neck with JD Vance - a venture capitalist and author of 2016 best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy - who has been through a political journey from staunch opposition to enthusiastically courting the support of Donald Trump.

Image source, Twitter/Tim Ryan

Marianna Spring
Disinformation and social media correspondent

As US voters head to the polls, a number of recent news events have been shaping their social media feeds. I have been investigating what voters are recommended online at a turbulent time for US politics.

I've created social media accounts belonging to five fake characters, who reflect views from across the political spectrum in the US.

The voters were created to represent views from across the US political spectrum, based on data gathered by the Pew Research Centre. I gave each of them a profile on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter, with names and computer-generated photos.

While these profiles can't offer an exhaustive insight into what every US voter could be seeing - and they don't have friends or followers - they do give us a snapshot of what voters across the political spectrum are being exposed to.

While social media sites say they are committed to tackling disinformation and hate on their platforms ahead of the poll, for my undercover voters, misleading and violent posts appear to have only increased in recent weeks.

• Read more about the profiles I set up

Britney is one of the five profiles I've created: I open up her Instagram and click on an account that's been recommended in her feed. I'm greeted by a meme falsely declaring that President Joe Biden never really won the 2020 election, and several others targeting named female politicians with misogynistic comments and abusive language.

Over the next few hours, I'll introduce you to our Undercover Voters and what they've been recommended online.

Read more here.

Image source, .

The two candidates vying to be one of Pennsylvania's Senators, Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr Mehmet Oz, cast their own votes a little earlier.

With the battle to control the upper chamber of Congress's 100 seats going down to the wire, the race looks set to be one of the most important results of these midterms.

A recent poll gave Fetterman a 51-49 lead - well within the margin of error - but patience will be required for those eagerly awaiting the result, which could take days to finalise because state law does not allow election officials to start processing postal ballots before today.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

The race has been characterised by controversy, with Fetterman holding a commanding polling lead before he suffered from a stroke earlier this year - which kept him from campaigning until he agreed to participate in a challenging televised debate.

Oz, a celebrity TV heart surgeon, attacked Fetterman over his ability to do the job given his health, even going so far as to suggest Fetterman would not be ill if he "had ever eaten a vegetable in his life".

Oz came to prominence through appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the early 2000s but Oprah herself recently endorsed Fetterman.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

Voting centres across the US are continuing to open - with polling stations in California, Idaho and Nevada becoming the latest to welcome voters in the last 30 minutes.

The outcome of these midterm polls will have a major impact on the remaining two years of Joe Biden's presidency, and beyond.

The elections are for Congress, which is made up of two parts - the House of Representatives, external and the Senate, external.

All 435 seats in the US House of Representatives, about a third (35 of 100 seats) of the Senate and key state governorships are up for grabs.

The Democratic Party has held the majority in both the House and the Senate for the past two years - which has been helpful for President Joe Biden to pass the laws he wants. But that could all change today.

For more on the basics of today's vote, head here.

With voting in full swing, what is President Joe Biden getting up to today?

Some might expect him to be rather distracted from regular business, but having already cast his vote at the end of last month, he is said to be following a "pretty full schedule" at the White House, according to his press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, external.

Previous presidents have often spent time giving radio interviews on election day in a bid to encourage people to vote in particular states. This is something Biden is likely to do.

Other than that, it's been suggested his election day schedule will remain "largely private", according to a White House official quoted in US media.

He is planning to watch the results tonight with senior advisers, the official added.

He will then address the election results on Wednesday, Jean-Pierre said.

American political parties have spent more than $6bn (£5.2bn) on TV ads ahead of the midterm elections.

From gun ownership to abortion rights and immigration, we've been taking a closer look at the world of American political ads.

Barbara Plett Usher
North America correspondent, reporting from Virginia

Voting is under way in the United States for midterm elections - with control of both Houses of Congress in the balance.

Turnout is expected to be high as Republicans try to gain a majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate, paralysing President Biden's agenda for his remaining two years in office and potentially paving the way for Donald Trump to return to the White House.

Political operatives from both parties say there’s a good chance Republicans will take back control of the House of Representatives.

There’s a much tighter competition for the Senate and attention is focused on a handful of crucial races that are too close to call – in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Nevada; historically it's normal for the president’s party to lose control of one or both houses of Congress during the midterms.

What’s not normal is that roughly half the Republican candidates at state and federal levels have cast doubt on the election system itself.

They claim the presidency was stolen from Donald Trump in 2020, so the Democrats have cast this election as a defining vote for US democracy even as Trump is strongly signalling a comeback.

Lawyers from the US Department of Justice (DoJ) will be monitoring polling locations in 24 states to ensure that every American has an equal opportunity to vote.

Monitors will be stationed at polling sites across the country, including in Maricopa County, Arizona, where some election workers have received death threats and armed militia groups, energised by false conspiracies of voter fraud, have been seen patrolling outside.

Since 1965, federal election monitors from the DoJ's Civil Rights Division have regularly monitored election sites to enforce federal voting rights laws.

But the decision to deploy monitors for the 2022 midterms comes after years of unfounded allegations of election fraud, often spread by former President Donald Trump.

Image source, Reuters

What’s the likelihood of Biden and Harris being impeached?published at 14:28 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2022

14:28 GMT 8 November 2022

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Paul Douglas, in Arizona, US, asks if the House and Senate both go Republican, what is the likelihood of the House starting impeachment proceedings against Biden and Harris?

There’s already talk about impeachment proceedings, although on what grounds the Republicans would do so is still 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 to convict and remove a president in the Senate, however, and even in the most rosiest midterm scenarios for Republicans they will not approach a majority of that size in the chamber.

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

What impact will the midterms have on the environment globally?published at 14:16 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2022

14:16 GMT 8 November 2022

Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent

Laura Archer in the UK asks this one, and we've put it to our environment correspondent who is currently at the COP27 summit in Egypt.

The US election results will be watched closely here at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, as the outcome will undoubtedly have impacts on global efforts to tackle climate change.

If the Democrats retain control of the Senate, they’re expected to try and build on the landmark Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

This bill earmarks a huge financial splurge to supercharge spending on green projects and would see US emissions fall significantly over the next 8 years.

Republicans are unlikely to be able to overturn it if they win the Senate, but it would end Democratic hopes of any further steps.

More critical for the legislation are the down ballot races for governor which are happening in 36 states.

Decisions on how the IRA money will be spent will be made at state level, and many of the Republican candidates standing are keen on rolling back climate laws rather than building on them.

A big Republican win would also take some of the wind out of President Biden’s sails when he arrives here on Friday.

Delegates at COP27 are fearful that such an outcome might presage a Republican White House victory in 2024.

The memories of President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, and the slowdown in progress that followed, is very fresh here.

More voting centres are now opening their doors to Americans wanting to have their say in the US midterm elections.

Ballots in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming have all just got going.

The majority of those - Montana, Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming - backed Donald Trump (so, the Republican Party) in 2020 - but it remains to be seen how'll they vote in terms of Congress.

Remember, midterms aren't about electing a new US president - instead they determine who gets a seat in either the House of Representatives or the Senate.

We'll continue to bring you news and analysis, including from our colleagues across the US.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, AFP

Ukraine will be watching nervously as voters head to polling stations across the US, according to a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank based in Washington DC.

There are going to be "a lot of world leaders watching these results nervously with a sense of resignation," Ben Judah tells the BBC.

One of those leaders is going to be Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, he says, because the sense is that Congress is losing its enthusiasm to cut huge cheques for Ukraine.

"On both the further right and the further left there are questions being asked: 'When's this going to end?', 'How much money are we spending there?' And there are going to be nerves in Kyiv that the Republican-dominated Congress - if that's what comes out of the midterms - is going to try and kick up a fuss with the White House about the size of those cheques.

"It's not going to stop them being sent, but friction is inserted here."

He adds that in the Middle East, leaders such as incoming Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be pleased if the Republicans come out on top in Congress.

Why is conspiracy rife in America?published at 13:33 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2022

13:33 GMT 8 November 2022

Mike Wendling
in Washington

Alison, US, asks: Why is conspiracy rife in America?

The easy answer is: social media.

But of course false rumours predate Facebook by centuries. And some research, external indicates conspiracy theories haven’t become more popular over the last decade or so.

So why does it feel like fake news and false rumours are overwhelming the country?

For one thing, very important people are talking about them: Kayne West, Elon Musk, Donald Trump. Conspiracy theorists are running for office.

We’ve been tracking a group of candidates organised by a QAnon influencer.

More broadly, a BBC analysis of Republican candidates running for Congress or governor found that 175 - or 35% - have fully and publicly denied the outcome of the 2020 election.

And there’s another interesting twist - several big recent conspiracy theories are explicitly party political. Again that’s not exactly new, but it is something that America hasn’t grappled with in a long time.

Rumours about, say, the moon landing took aim at shadowy forces like the “military industrial complex”.

But recent debunked conspiracy theories – QAnon, Pizzagate and “Stop the steal” – have targeted specific politicians, mostly Democrats.

Are there other possible Republican presidential candidates besides Donald Trump?published at 13:23 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2022

13:23 GMT 8 November 2022

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Kaye Vick, 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 also a 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.

Give 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.