[Anchor]
Voting has begun in the U.S. midterm elections, which could determine the direction of President Trump's remaining two years in office. This election will decide whether the Republican Party, which currently holds both the House and the Senate, will maintain its advantage, or if the Democratic Party will reclaim congressional power to serve as a check.
First, reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon has the report.
[Reporter]
A polling place in New Jersey, near New York, is bustling with voters from early in the morning.
Starting with the eastern region last night (the 3rd, KST), this U.S. midterm election involves electing all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 members of the Senate.
In the Senate, where the current balance is 53 to 47, the Democratic Party can change the majority if it secures 4 more seats.
More than 56 million voters participated in early voting, setting a record high for a U.S. midterm election, with the participation rate of registered Democrats exceeding that of Republicans by more than 10 percentage points.
The key variable determining the outcome of this election, which serves as an interim assessment of the current administration, is the economy.
With soaring oil prices and inflation driven by the aftermath of the war in Iran, voters cited economic issues as the most important matter.
[Phil Riley / New Jersey: Interest rates are high and inflation is high. The economy is very unstable.]
[Chris / New Jersey: Inflation is the most important thing. As everyone knows, it is really hard to afford living expenses these days. I do not expect a lot, but I hope they will at least try to make things better than they are now.]
Recently, the Trump administration's approval rating has fallen to the 30% range, the lowest of his second term. In his final campaign speech, President Trump also made remarks acknowledging the possibility of defeat, stating, "Incumbent presidents do not win midterm elections."
Voting will close first in Indiana and Kentucky at 8:00 AM today (KST), and conclude in Alaska around 3:00 PM.
The outline of the voting results is expected to emerge as early as this afternoon, but just as it took more than a week to determine the House majority four years ago, it may take longer for final results to be confirmed depending on vote-counting situations in competitive battleground regions.
(Video reporting: Lee Hee-hoon, Video editing: Jeong Yong-hwa)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.