US midterm elections: All you need to know

Voters in US will cast their ballot on November 8 for the crucial midterm election

The midterms take place two years after a presidential election, mid-way through a US president’s four-year term

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives or the Lower House are on the ballot, as well as 35 Senate seats or the Upper House

Like the Indian Parliament, US Congress has 535 members

The Congress is divided into two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives.

There are 100 members in the senate elected for a six-year term and every two years a third of the Senate is up for re-election.

Similarly, the House of Representatives has 435 members for a two-year term after which every seat is up for re-election.

A political party needs 51 seats to have control in the Senate, while 218 are required to achieve a majority in the House.

At stake in these elections is the control of the House of Representatives

Currently, the Democrats control both chambers, but by very slim majorities. The House is controlled by the Democrats with 221 seats and the Senate is equally split where the Republicans hold 50 seats, while Democrats hold 48. There are two independent Representatives who favour Biden.
More than 42 million Americans have cast early ballots ahead of midterm elections as most of the 50 US states allow voters to cast ballots early

Also watch: What are key issues in the US Midterms?