"Today we face an inflection point. We know in our bones that our democracy's at risk and we know that this is your moment to defend it," said Biden while addressing a crowd at Bowie State University, a historically Black college outside Washington.
Joe Biden's comment indicates the extent to which the USA has been divided by political ideologies and could see the victory of Republicans in one or both chambers of Congress.
According to the experts, the midterm election can bring huge gains for the Republicans. They are likely to win 25 seats in the 435-seat House of Representatives. This will be enough for the party to win a majority, reported Reuters. There are chances that the Republicans also could pick up the one seat they need to win control of the Senate.
Rising prices and crime in America
One of the prime concerns of voters is the rising prices and crime in the country. Republicans have questioned the Democrats during the whole election campaign on these two top voter concerns. Moreover, dozens of candidates also claimed the 2020 election defeat of Donald Trump to be an act of fraud. There are chances that some of these candidates will end up as governors or election administrators in battleground states.
Donald Trump, during his Ohio campaign, hinted at his plans to launch another presidential run soon. Republicans have blamed Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-relief package and clean-energy efforts to cause inflation in the country. The party has also campaigned against the COVID-related restrictions imposed during the pandemic by the Biden government.
On Monday, Joe Biden addressed the public in Democratic Maryland, where the Democratic, Wes Moore, is expected to win. Even after delivering on his campaign promises, Joe Biden is witnessing a fall in his popularity. He stood on his promise to boost infrastructure and clean energy. Despite that, many Americans have soured on Biden's leadership. According to Reuters/Ipsos poll, only 39% of Americans approve of his job performance.
The victory of Republicans will be a major blow against abortion protections
After the decision of the Judiciary that toppled the long-existing abortion rights in the USA, Joe Biden is trying best to get abortion protections, family leave benefits and other Democratic priorities through Congress. However, victory of Republicans could be the last nail in the coffin of abortion rights in the USA. Moreover, a Republican-led Senate may result in blocking Biden's nominations for judicial or administrative posts. There has been a massive campaign on abortion rights by the Democrats.
"I think it should be a person's own decision of what to do," said Chris Gunston, 60, who voted for a proposal to protect abortion rights in Michigan, along with Democratic candidates on the ballot there.
Elon Musk's Twitter takeover can be another favourable aspect for the Republicans. Elon Musk on Monday tweeted that "independent-minded voters" should vote for a Republican Congress "because shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties."
Control of Capitol Hill would allow Republicans to block aid to Ukraine. However, there are chances that they are more likely to slow or pare back the flow of weapons and economic assistance to Kyiv than stop it.
Looming threat of election violence in US mid-term elections
There are chances that the US mid-term elections will be marred by election violence as Trump supporters have threatened to harass election workers and voters. That's why U.S. Justice Department would keep an eye on voting in 64 locations across the USA.
However, there has been no report of any specific, credible election-related threats, reported the White House on Monday.
As of now, more than 43 million Americans have voted for their representatives, either in person or through the mail, stated the U.S. Elections Project, which tracks early voting. As of now, polling problems have not been widely reported.
The voting deadline will be extended in Georgia as more than 700 people had requested mail ballots but they didn't receive them. In Georgia, one of America's closely contested Senate races is unfolding.
One of the voters, Alyse Martin said she has to miss a lot of classes to vote in person. Alyse traveled six hours from Washington back to Cobb County after her absentee ballot never arrived.
(With inputs from Reuters)
