Mid-term voters swing away from Obama, amid low voter turn-out

US President Barack Obama's Democrats no longer controls the all-important Senate, after a swing to Republicans in the mid-term elections.

The Republicans already control the House of Representatives meaning Mr Obama is going to have a very tough last few years as President. 

With Mr Obama's approval at a new low of 44 percent, the once charismatic leader has become an electoral liability for his party. 

Voters are deeply pessimistic about life in the US, with eight of ten people saying they're worried about the direction of the economy.  

Disillusionment with their politicians has been reinforced again tonight, with only about 40 percent of Americans turning out to vote. Once again, the argument has been raised that perhaps voting should be compulsory like in Australia. 

There were also complaints  about the cost of elections. In North Carolina the two Senate candidates spent $100m on their campaigns. Many candidates avoided being associated with traditional Washington politics.

Despite the electoral disaster for Mr Obama and his party tonight, he stays in place for another two years. Though what is almost certainly guaranteed now is two years of severely divided government.