[WATCH] America enters final hours of crucial midterm elections

Polling stations across the United States are coming to a close as the country votes in crucial midterm elections marked by inflation, abortion, and immigration concerns. 

Some polling stations will remain open for longer due to technical issued that delayed opening times. 

The election will determine control of Congress, which is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. 

As things stand, the Democratic Party holds control of Congress. But polls suggest that the Republicans will secure a majority in the House, and possibly the Senate depending on results from key states. 

While some results will start to roll out on Tuesday evening across America, nothing will be conclusive. Most of the results that will be available after polls close will be in regards to early voting ballots, which tend to skew towards the Democratic Party. 

Midterm elections in the US take place two years into the president’s term. In these elections, Americans vote for several local and state officials, including Congressional members. 

All seats in the House are up for grabs, while one-third of the 100 Senate seats are at stake. 

Congress is America’s main legislative body, while the President serves as the executive branch of government. 

If the Republican Party secures a majority in Congress in these elections, President Joe Biden will have a more difficult time trying to align his agenda with that of a Republican-controlled Congress.

Polls and forecasts suggest that the Republican party will gain control of the House, but control of the Senate rests on a few critical states.

This is the first election since the 6 January Capitol riots and the overruling of Roe v Wade, which established abortion as a constitutional right in America. 

Meanwhile, immigration and border control issues are as dominant as they were when Donald Trump was first elected to office. 

But inflation has been a top issue for many in this election, with prices up by 8.3% over last year. 

According to a poll carried out by ABC News/Ipsos, half of registered voters considered the economy or inflation as the most important issue ahead of the elections.

This is on par with the findings of another survey by the New York Times/Siena College, where 44% of voters said the economy and inflation are their top concerns.

Nicole Meilak was invited to the United States on a midterm elections tour for journalists by the Embassy of the United States to Malta