Election in the United States: results come out at night and Congressional control could take days

American voters go to the polls this Tuesday (3/11), and counting begins at 8pm Brasília, according to InfoMoney. The first closures occur in parts of Indiana and Kentucky, at the same time, and from there the results arrive state by state throughout the night.

Anyone expecting a quick response may be frustrated. According to the same source, defining Congressional control could take days. Voting only closes on Wednesday (4/11), at 3pm, in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, while Hawaii and the rest of Alaska close the polls at 2pm.

The schedules were compiled by NCSL, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and show that polls closing do not happen all at once. The staggering causes the painting to form in stages, rather than in a single moment of the night.

The pace of counting, according to the report, depends on three factors: the rules of each state, the volume of votes sent by mail and the difference between the candidates. The smaller this difference, the more the definition tends to depend on the final calculation.

What is at stake is control of Congress, the body that defines the American government's legislative agenda for the following years. In a midterm election, this result usually weighs as much as the presidential race in the eyes of politicians and investors.

What changes for the investor

For those who follow the stock market, Nasdaq, interest rates and the dollar, the most relevant factor is time. If the outcome in Congress takes days, the market may go through this period without a clear direction on American fiscal policy, which tends to keep uncertainty on the radar. This is a possible effect, not a price prediction. It is up to the investor to evaluate how this variable fits into their own plan.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.