Midterms 2018: Early voting sees record-breaking turnout as Oprah heads on campaign trail for Stacey Abrams

Several races around the country are ones to watch for their national implications as candidates vie to become one of 100 Senators or 50 governors. 

A good time to get a feel for a candidate is during a debate or town hall when the candidate takes questions from a live audience. At least three of these will be broadcast across the US. 

Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Rick Scott, the current Governor of Florida, square off in a debate on 16 October. 

On 18 October, Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke will host a town hall. His opponent Republican Ted Cruz declined to debate.

Democratic Mayor of Tallahassee Andrew Gillum is debating Republican House Representative Ron DeSantis on 21 October in a bid to become the first African-American governor of Florida. 

The race between Democrat Beto O'Rourke and Republican Ted Cruz is a particularly interesting one given Texas has usually voted reliably Republican for that Senate seat. 

Mr Cruz, however, may prove to be less likable than the young, energetic, outspoken Mr O'Rourke. His shaky relationship with Mr Trump may also prove to be a negative for Mr Cruz. 

Read more here about the pair and how the Republican establishment is reacting: 

Taylor Swift is not the only the musician to weigh in on the 2018 midterms. 

Legend Willy Nelson endorsed Beto O'Rourke, the Democrat running against Ted Cruz for a Texas Senate seat, angering some of his more politically conservative fans. 

The 85-year-old Texas simply said: “I don’t care.” Read more about what happened here: 

Another reminder, today is the last day to register to vote in 16 states. 

Some states do offer registration up until 6 November as well: District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. 

Usually efforts to get voters to register have been dominated by Democrats because they have felt people in poorer communities and minorities are not well-represented in Congress or voting rolls. 

This year's midterms - and the political turmoil of late - appears to have resulted in a new effort by the GOP to recruit voters, particularly in many of the Southern states in red on the map below. 

Those are all the updates we have today but check back every weekday from now until the 6 November election for more updates, analysis, and our reports from around the US.

For more 2018 midterm elections coverage, read here. 

Welcome back to The Independent’s live coverage of the 2018 midterm elections for Wednesday, 10 October. 

With less than 30 days before the crucial elections, the Democratic Party appears to have lost its double-digit lead in support on the national ballot against Republicans, leading the majority party by just two points on the generic House ballot.

However, as anyone following the news cycle knows, a lot can happen before voters flock to the polls. Stay tuned as we bring you the latest developments throughout the day.

Taylor Swift, who found her political voice this week as the singer endorsed Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen for US Senate, continued to encourage her young fans to register to vote ahead of the November midterms last night at the American Music Awards. 

The typically apolitical singer — who picked up four awards, including artist of the year — used the night to stress the importance of voting. 

"This award and every single award given out tonight were voted on by the people, and you know what else is voted on by the people," she said, "the midterm elections on November 6."

Analysts saw a massive spike in voter registration earlier this week after Ms Swift posted an Instagram caption encouraging folks to get registered ahead of the elections. 

With less than 30 days until the contentious elections, Donald Trump’s lawyers have tried out a new talking point in their defence against accusations of collusion during the 2016 presidential election. 

The president’s attorneys have argued the 1st Amendment protects the “right to disclose information — even stolen information.” 

However, the sharing of stolen information during an election cycle breaks all forms of federal campaign laws, and if that information was stolen by an foreign national or international organisation, the act would be in even further violation of federal law. 

With final voter registration days arriving across the country, the first family has been vigorously posting across social media encouraging their supporters to register ahead of the crucial elections. 

First son Eric Trump wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning, "All my friends in Missouri, today is your LAST CHANCE to register to vote this November! It is very easy to do - simply go to vote.gop!" He then endorsed Josh Hawley, the conservative Republican candidate for US Senate in Missouri. 

Yesterday was a big day across the country in terms of voter registration — mainly because a handful of states require residents to register by 9 October to vote in November.

Voting rights organisations often rally for expanded access to registration, including automatic voter registration, with each election cycle. 

Find out what’s the last day to register to vote in your state below.