Americans are voting in one of the most consequential midterm elections in recent years, with control of both chambers of Congress at stake and US President Donald Trump facing a defining political test halfway through his second term.

As voting continues across the United States, attention has shifted to a series of disruptions affecting polling stations in several states, including a major ballot-scanning failure in New York, equipment problems in North Carolina and a shortage of ballot papers in Kansas.

The developments have raised concerns about potential delays in counting votes, particularly in closely contested congressional districts where relatively small margins could determine the outcome.

However, despite the problems and the increasingly confrontational political atmosphere, election officials have emphasised that established contingency procedures are being used to protect ballots and ensure that legitimate votes are counted. There is currently no verified evidence that the reported technical failures form part of a coordinated attempt to manipulate the election.

Meanwhile, Trump has celebrated preliminary Republican gains in Guam, the US territory in the western Pacific where voting has already concluded, describing the result as a potentially encouraging sign for his party.

The president’s optimism comes as Democrats seek to capitalise on dissatisfaction with the cost of living, the administration’s policies and Trump’s leadership to overturn Republican majorities in Washington.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships are on the ballot. The results will determine whether Trump retains a supportive Congress for the final two years of his presidency or faces a Democratic-controlled legislative chamber capable of blocking parts of his agenda and intensifying scrutiny of his administration.

New York ballot-scanning failures threaten delays in closely contested House race

The most significant reported disruption has occurred in Westchester County, north of New York City, where ballot scanners at hundreds of polling locations were unable to process ballot papers.

County Executive Ken Jenkins said the problems affected 332 polling sites across more than 40 municipalities, with as many as 250,000 ballots potentially involved. That figure, however, had not been independently confirmed by the US’s election board.

Election officials have attributed the malfunction to problems involving the ballot paper and its compatibility with scanning equipment. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the thickness of the paper was preventing machines from accepting ballots.

Voters have been instructed to complete their ballot papers and place them in designated, sealed emergency containers, allowing voting to continue while the equipment problems are addressed.

VIDEO: Voters turn out in large numbers across the United States for pivotal midterm elections, with long lines reported at polling stations as Americans cast their ballots in closely watched races nationwide. https://t.co/VeF7yg9zu3

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 3, 2026

The disruption is particularly sensitive because parts of Westchester County fall within New York’s 17th Congressional District, where Republican incumbent Mike Lawler is fighting a closely watched re-election battle against Democrat Cait Conley.

The contest is among the races that could determine whether Republicans retain their narrow majority in the House.

Lawler has outlined arrangements for affected ballots to be transferred after polling closes, with police escorts and representatives of both political parties overseeing the process.

He and Conley have also sought judicial approval for the special handling and counting procedures, aiming to minimise disputes over the result.

Lawler has indicated that the problems do not appear to have been deliberate, while insisting that every vote must be counted.

New York election officials have similarly assured voters that the affected ballots remain secure and will be processed through established election procedures.

The disruption could nevertheless delay the announcement of results from the county, potentially complicating the picture on election night if the district proves decisive in the contest for the House.

North Carolina extends voting after equipment breakdowns

Further disruption has been reported in North Carolina, another state central to the battle for control of Congress.

The state’s election board authorised extensions at two polling locations after computer and printer malfunctions interfered with voting.

At a polling station in Tabor City, Columbus County, computer problems delayed the start of voting from the scheduled 6.30am opening until 7.27am.

Witness statements indicated that between 15 and 30 voters may have left without casting their ballots after encountering difficulties.

NCSBE emergency meeting notice at 2 pm. Watch: https://t.co/N0B2hBa0rC. Meeting is routine protocol to review any issues at polling places & consider recommending extending voting hours at affected precincts. It’s classified an emergency meeting per public notice requirements. https://t.co/onWX38fSCv

— NCSBE (@NCSBE) November 3, 2026

Authorities consequently extended voting at the location by 45 minutes, until 8.15pm local time.

A separate printer failure at the Holloway Recreation Center in Lenoir County interrupted proceedings for approximately 45 minutes. At least one voter was reported to have left without voting, prompting a 30-minute extension until 8pm.

Because the state must wait until all polling stations have closed before publicly releasing results, the extensions mean North Carolina’s first figures cannot be published before 8.15pm local time, or 3.15am Wednesday in Greece.

The developments are particularly important because North Carolina is hosting one of the Senate contests that could influence which party controls the upper chamber.

Kansas runs out of ballot papers as voters leave polling station

In Kansas, voting was temporarily disrupted when a polling station in Leavenworth County ran out of ballot papers shortly after opening.

The incident occurred at the Linwood Community Building, where officials attributed the shortage to an administrative ordering mistake.

According to state election officials, only 100 ballot papers had been ordered instead of the intended 100,000, forcing voting to stop for approximately 90 minutes while additional supplies were secured.

Brian Caskey, the state’s election director, said dozens of voters were affected, although the number did not reach the hundreds.

Some waited for replacement papers, while others left without voting. Authorities encouraged those affected to return before polls closed.

The problem occurred against a backdrop of substantial early turnout in Kansas, where more than 470,000 votes had already been recorded.

Officials reported that approximately 46,000 people voted in person on the preceding Saturday, a record for a single day of in-person voting in a non-presidential election in the state.

There is no indication that the ballot shortage was deliberate.

NEW: Kansas has become the latest state to shift from Lean Republican to Toss-up in the final Fox News Power Rankings ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections. The traditionally Republican state is now considered a battleground as GOP Sen. Roger Marshall faces Democrat Adam Hamilton. The updated forecast points to significant Republican spending in Kansas as a reason the race is no longer rated as favoring the GOP. Control of the Senate also remains a toss-up, with Democrats favored in 48 seats, Republicans in 45 and seven races too close to call. Follow the latest in all the races here: https://t.co/vBEXzNTgon

— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 1, 2026

Florida flooding and Georgia election warnings

Severe weather has also affected the voting process.

In Florida, flooding forced election officials to relocate 23 polling sites in central parts of the state, while authorities worked to ensure residents could reach alternative voting locations.

In Georgia, voters in Fulton County reported receiving misleading text messages claiming that polling locations had changed.

Authorities urged residents to verify voting information through official election channels rather than relying on unsolicited communications.

Democrat Jon Ossoff is at roughly 96% reelection odds on Polymarket, with Georgia polls closing at 7 p.m. ET. Republicans’ hopes of flipping this Senate seat look bleak. Turn on notifications for @allenanalysis as Georgia’s results come in.

— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) November 3, 2026

Fulton County also experienced separate technical problems involving ballot-processing equipment at two locations, affecting approximately 1,000 early-voting ballots.

Officials proposed rescanning the affected ballots in public view, with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger indicating that the problems were not expected to delay results.

An Ohio polling station was temporarily evacuated following a bomb threat. Voting resumed after police checked the premises and determined that there was no continuing safety risk.

Taken together, the incidents illustrate the logistical pressures facing an election conducted across thousands of independently administered polling locations.

They do not, however, establish widespread electoral fraud. The distinction is especially important in an environment where claims about election integrity have become a central element of political campaigning.

Trump celebrates early Republican gains in Guam

While voting continues across the mainland United States, Trump has seized on preliminary results from Guam to project confidence about the Republican Party’s prospects.

Unofficial results from the Pacific territory show Republican gubernatorial candidate Tony Ada leading Democrat Therese Terlaje by 1,020 votes.

Ada and his running mate, E.J. Calvo, received 15,945 votes, or 51.45%, compared with 14,925 votes, or 48.15%, for the Democratic ticket.

🚨 JUST NOW: President Trump drops this message after Republicans FLIP Guam’s governor from blue to red "Guam, which has always been considered strongly Democrat, just had an early call for a REPUBLICAN Victory in the top spot, Governor — Congratulations to Tony Ada! Also, the Republicans have the Majority in the State Senate. Wow, hopefully that’s an indication for things to come! President DONALD J. TRUMP" Republicans need to vote in droves ALL DAY!

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 3, 2026

Trump congratulated Ada in a Truth Social post and suggested the result might foreshadow Republican success elsewhere.

The president also celebrated apparent Republican gains in Guam’s 15-member legislature, where preliminary figures indicate an eight-seat Republican majority against seven Democratic members.

The results are politically encouraging for Republicans, although they provide little reliable indication of how voters across the mainland United States will behave.

Guam’s political circumstances differ significantly from those of individual states, and its population represents a small fraction of the national electorate.

The preliminary results are also mixed.

Democratic candidate Alicia Anne Garrido Limtiaco leads incumbent Republican James Moylan in the election for Guam’s non-voting delegate to the US House of Representatives, according to the figures available.

That position does not carry a vote on final legislation in the full House and therefore does not affect the calculation of the congressional majority.

For Trump, however, the early Republican performance has provided an opportunity to generate momentum before the decisive mainland results begin emerging.

California governor threatens legal action over immigration enforcement

Beyond the technical problems, tensions over federal involvement in election administration have intensified.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has warned that state authorities could pursue criminal charges against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents if they unlawfully interfere with voting.

His warning followed an ICE social media message indicating that the agency would pursue non-US citizens attempting to vote illegally.

California Governor Gavin Newsom shared a strongly worded warning on X on Election Day, November 3, echoing a message posted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) against illegal voting. #MidtermVerdict https://t.co/oMp4hvSyeS

— Firstpost (@firstpost) November 3, 2026

Only eligible US citizens may vote in federal elections, but Democratic officials and voting-rights organisations have argued that the presence of immigration enforcement personnel near polling stations could discourage lawful voters from participating.

The confrontation reflects a broader dispute between the Trump administration and Democratic-led states over voter registration records, election procedures and the federal government’s role in electoral oversight.

In a significant development immediately before election day, the US Supreme Court rejected an emergency request from the Trump administration to require California to separate ballots associated with approximately 20,000 people the government alleged could be non-citizens.

California officials have challenged the reliability of the administration’s claims and argued that the proposed measures risked affecting eligible voters.

The court’s refusal to grant emergency relief did not constitute a final determination on every underlying allegation, but it prevented the administration from imposing the requested ballot-separation measure ahead of the election.

The dispute underscores how questions about voting eligibility and federal authority have become intertwined with the political contest itself.