Decision Desk HQ Projects Democrats to Win House as Election Night Results Begin Arriving

At 8:09 p.m. on election night, Decision Desk HQ, a vote-tracking company, projected that Democrats will win the U.S. House of Representatives. The company based the call on exit polling and on votes that had already been counted. It had not yet called the Senate.

The national picture was arriving alongside a slower, more local count in mid-Missouri, where KMIZ in Columbia was running an election night livestream that began at 7:35 p.m.

Two Senate races were already moving. ABC News projected that Democrat Roy Cooper will win the North Carolina Senate race, where he is expected to defeat Republican Michael Whatley. The contest had been one of the most closely watched as Democrats fought for control of Congress. In Georgia, incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff is expected to win reelection against Republican Mike Collins.

In Cole County, Missouri, the first numbers to emerge came from absentee voting. County Director of Elections Matt Musselman shared preliminary results with the media at 7:43 p.m. They showed more than 5,100 people had voted by absentee ballot. Those early figures also gave a first look at a local question in Jefferson City: Proposition 1, which asks voters whether to impose an additional quarter-cent sales tax for police and fire services. Based on the absentee results alone, it held an advantage of roughly 500 votes. Absentee ballots are only part of the total, so the margin could move as in-person votes are counted. Cole County election officials had predicted that turnout could approach or exceed 50%.

To the west, Boone County's turnout had already topped 40% with more than two hours of voting remaining. The Boone County Clerk's Office reported on X that turnout stood at 43% as of 4:30 p.m. That figure counts only votes cast in person, both in the lead-up to Election Day and on the day itself. It leaves out mailed ballots, so actual turnout was already higher. Polls closed at 7 p.m.

Boone County voters were deciding a local sales tax to fund a new jail, listed on the ballot as Prop L. They also faced four statewide amendments and one proposition. Among them is Amendment 3, which would ban most abortions in Missouri.

The House call is a projection from one organization, built on exit polls and partial counts. The Senate remains uncalled, and the results for Prop 1, Prop L and Amendment 3 are still to come as counting continues.