Democrats poised for strong majority as House, Senate races stay uncalled

The House map isn't finished. NPR reports Democrats are poised for a robust majority in the next Congress, but a handful of races remain uncalled, and The Associated Press is still waiting to make those calls. Some California districts feature two candidates from the same party, so the seat's partisan label is set even if the winner isn't. Elsewhere, margins are too tight or ballot totals too incomplete to declare a winner.

Counting votes takes time in many places, and that's normal and expected, NPR notes. Results can stretch beyond election night without signaling a problem. The AP is still watching the uncalled House races.

In the Senate, two contests are outstanding: Alaska and Mississippi. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, and no candidate in its four-person race has crossed 50%. That means another round of counting could happen later this month, according to NPR.

Mississippi runs a more traditional system, but a pile of provisional ballots—called affidavit ballots there—is slowing the tally. Fewer than 2,000 votes separate the top two candidates, NPR says.

The bottom line: Democrats look set for a strong majority, but the last seats and final numbers are still being sorted. The calendar, not controversy, is the main driver. Ranked-choice rounds and affidavit counts will decide the remaining Senate questions.