How to follow the US midterm elections on the BBC
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Published
Voters in the US are casting their ballots in midterm elections, with the results set to shape the next two years of American politics.
BBC News is on hand to keep you up-to-date with the latest developments across all platforms, no matter where you are in the world.
Online
Follow the election results and developments as the night unfolds on the BBC News website and app.
We’ll stream the BBC’s election results programme from 18:30 EST (23:30 GMT) once polls close on the East Coast.
It will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer and BBC News YouTube, external.
There’ll also be a comprehensive text and video offer and a live page where you can get the latest updates, reaction and analysis.
Audiences will be able to use the interactive results service to watch live updates of the vote count in every state.
Sign up to Anthony Zurcher’s Politics Unspun newsletter for comprehensive analysis of all the results.
TV
The BBC’s election results programme will be broadcast live from Washington on BBC One and the BBC News Channel from 18:30 EST (23:30 GMT).
It will be hosted by Clive Myrie from the Capitol, with Sumi Somaskanda and Caitríona Perry in the BBC’s Washington DC studio.
Correspondents will report from battleground states while North America editor Sarah Smith and North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher will give their take from Washington DC.
BBC analysis editor Ros Atkins will also drill down into the key results as they come in.
BBC Breakfast will also have a round-up of the results for viewers on BBC One from 01:00 EST (06:00 GMT) on Wednesday 4 November, with analysis of what it means for Donald Trump’s final two years in office.
Radio and Sounds
Special coverage from Washington starts at 18:00 EST (23:00 GMT) with James Coomarasamy and Asma Khalid.
Listeners in the UK can follow them on BBC Radio 4. Listeners outside the UK can hear the same broadcast on the BBC World Service.
The Today programme on BBC Radio 4 will have all the reaction to the night’s events from Washington from 01:00 EST (06:00 GMT) on Wednesday 4 November.
Election week also sees Americast become a daily podcast, with Justin Webb, Sarah Smith, Anthony Zurcher and Marianna Spring helping audiences make sense of the biggest moments.
How the BBC gets and reports results
The BBC has two trusted partners that provide results – AP news agency and our US news partner CBS.
When we bring you a result, we call it a “projection”. That’s because our partners analyse incoming results data, and when they are confident that one candidate has an unbeatable lead in a particular race, they project the winner.
That projection is not the official result – but it nearly always proves to be correct when all the votes are eventually counted.
The final result comes when states certify the results – often days or weeks after election day.
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