US: Americans yesterday went to the polls in mid-term elections that will decide control of the US Congress, with early returns indicating a low turnout and a repeat of the 50-50 result in national polls two years ago.
President Bush cast his vote at the fire station in Crawford, Texas at the end of a full-throttle nine-month campaign which ended with a five-day 17-city dash around the United States. His personal prestige is heavily invested in the outcome of the poll to decide all 435 House seats, 34 of the 100 Senate seats and 36 of the 50 state governors.
In this election, small shifts were expected to determine the balance of power, especially in the Senate where the Democrats held a one-seat majority. Since he began campaigning with a January fund-raiser for his brother, Governor Jeb Bush of Florida, Mr Bush has broken all records for raising money, gathering in $140 million from 67 fund-raisers that could win legislative power for his conservative agenda.
Democrats needed to win most of the House races to gain the six seats they need to win back control. In the Senate poll, analysts in both parties said Arkansas could be a Democratic gain, and Missouri a Republican upset in the Senate poll.
Democrats also hoped to take Colorado, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Texas with Republicans looking for gains in South Dakota, Minnesota, Georgia and Louisiana. If the Senate is divided 50-50, the Vice President, Mr Dick Cheney, will use a casting vote to make Republican Senator Trent Lott the majority leader.
Despite the weak economy and corporate scandals, there was no evidence the national mood strongly favoured Democrats, according to pollsters.
The Committee for the Study of the American Electorate predicted that a third of eligible voters would turn out to cast their ballots.
Yesterday the Democratic Party accused Republicans of using dirty tricks to influence the outcome and Republicans complained that in Georgia votes for Republicans on a touch-vote screen went to Democrats.
In contrast to the 2000 presidential election, there were few complaints about voting procedures in Florida, which has spent $32 million installing touch screen machines.
The Democratic National Committee chairman, Mr Terry McAuliffe, facing a projected last-minute swing to Republicans, issued a statement saying Republican tactics to intimidate voters "are nothing less than despicable".
He referred to leaflets circulated to African-Americans in Maryland which gave the wrong polling date and warned voters to pay parking tickets and rent arrears before they went to vote. In New Hampshire, he said, the landlord of hundreds of elderly tenants wrote them letters urging a vote for Republican Mr John Sununu for the Senate, as only he could assure they could continue to remain in their home.
The Republican Party called the accusations "wild and wacky".
As coverage got under way, US networks were at pains to demonstrate they had learnt from their mistakes of two years ago when they wrongly declared Al Gore the winner over George Bush in Florida, and handed him the presidency.
Amid pressure for news anchors to release their projections within minutes of the polls closing, the networks promised caution in declaring the winners, and offered fuller disclosure on how they arrived at their projections. - (Additional reporting Guardian Service)