The US midterm elections are scheduled for Tuesday, November 3rd, with the outcomes poised to significantly influence American politics for the subsequent two years. BBC News will provide continuous updates on all its platforms.
Online coverage on the BBC News website and app will feature live streams of the BBC's election results program, beginning at 6:30 PM EST (11:30 PM GMT) following the closure of East Coast polls. This broadcast will also be available on BBC iPlayer and the BBC News YouTube channel. A dedicated live page will offer continuous updates, analysis, and reactions, supplemented by an interactive results service for tracking vote counts by state. Interested individuals can also subscribe to the 'Politics Unspun' newsletter for in-depth analysis.
Television coverage will include the live election results program, broadcast from Washington on BBC One and the BBC News Channel starting at 6:30 PM EST (11:30 PM GMT). Hosted by Clive Myrie, the program will feature reports from battleground states and analysis from Washington-based correspondents. BBC Breakfast will provide a summary of the results and their implications from 1:00 AM EST (6:00 AM GMT) on Wednesday, November 4th.
Radio broadcasts commence at 6:00 PM EST (11:00 PM GMT) with special coverage from Washington on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service. The 'Today' program on BBC Radio 4 will deliver reaction to the night's events starting at 1:00 AM EST (6:00 AM GMT) on November 4th. Additionally, the 'Americast' podcast will be a daily feature throughout election week, offering insights into key moments.
The BBC sources its election results from its partners, the AP news agency and CBS. When a result is announced, it is referred to as a "projection," indicating that the partner agency is confident of an unbeatable lead based on incoming data. While not the official result, these projections are highly accurate. Official results are certified by states, which can take days or weeks after election day.