On Tuesday, November 3, America goes to the polls for the midterm elections , the elections in which a large part of Congress (the entire House and a third of the Senate) is renewed and which take place every four years in the middle of the presidential term.

This is the final turning point for Donald Trump: having already served two terms, the tycoon will not be able to run in 2028 and the midterms are his final electoral test.

His name isn't on the ballot, but Trump has made the vote a referendum on himself: "Vote as if I were on the ballot, because when I'm on the ballot, we're fine," he has been repeating for months.

HOUSE RENEWAL . All 435 districts go to the polls , which here more reflect the will of the people, with each state electing a number of representatives proportional to its population (California leads the way, with 53 elected representatives). 218 is the magic number for a majority . Republicans currently control 220 seats and Democrats 215.

THE SENATE VOTE . Here, 35 of the 100 seats are up for election, and each state elects two senators . The Senate majority is 51 seats. Conservatives currently hold it with 53 seats, compared to the Democrats' 47.

THE NEW CONGRESS . It will be the 120th in US history and will be inaugurated in January 2027.

THE MIDTERTERM CURSE - Midterm elections typically penalize the incumbent president. In modern history, only three times has the incumbent president's party managed to break the curse: Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1934, Bill Clinton in 1998, and George W. Bush in 2002.

THE OBSERVERS. Trump wants to send 1,000 of them to the polls to monitor the voting process , in what has already been called "the largest election monitoring operation in the history of the U.S. Department of Justice."

LOCAL ELECTIONS . On Election Day, November 3 , Americans in 36 states will also be called to elect their governors . Among the most important races are the one to succeed Gavin Newsom as governor of California, and the one for Texas between Republican Greg Abbott and Democrat Gina Hinojosa.

REFERENDUMS . Voters in 40 states are also called to vote on a total of 145 state referendum questions , 15 in Louisiana and 14 in California and Colorado. The issues range from protecting abortion rights to regulating transgender minors, from the Scrooge McDuck tax to banning foie gras in Washington and Denver.

THE POLLS . The latest polls indicate a Democratic victory in the House , while the battle for the Senate is more open , but here too the Democrats - who need four seats to obtain a majority - appear to be ahead.

THE VOTERS : Those eligible to vote are approximately 250 million, out of a population of approximately 350 million people.

(Unioneonline)

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