Voters head to polls as Supreme Court weighs church program case

Americans will cast ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 3, in a national election that includes contests for all 435 U.S. House seats and 35 Senate seats. Voters in 36 states will also select governors. The outcome of these midterms will determine which party controls Congress for the remainder of President Donald Trump's second term.

Republicans aim to keep their majority in both chambers. Democrats seek to flip the House and Senate to Democratic control. Several races in critical states remain undecided. The latest polls label the Senate contests in Texas, Michigan, and Alaska as toss ups as Election Day approaches.

The Supreme Court will open its November oral argument session on the same day voting begins. The court has scheduled seven hours of arguments across five days, running from Nov. 2 through Nov. 10. One case draws particular attention because of its implications for religious institutions in public programs.

In St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, the justices will consider whether a Catholic preschool was unfairly excluded from Colorado's universal preschool program. The central question is if that exclusion constitutes religious discrimination. The court will hear arguments in this case on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The timing places the high court's docket directly alongside the national vote. Voters will decide the balance of power in Washington while legal observers watch the judiciary interpret the relationship between faith-based groups and state funding mechanisms.