Mississippi Senate Race Too Close to Call as Ballots Are Counted
Democrat Scott Colom and Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith remained separated by nearly 2,500 votes as counting continued in Mississippi. An estimated 30,000 ballots were still outstanding, while counties faced deadlines to process absentee and provisional ballots.
Democrat Scott Colom and Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith were separated by nearly 2,500 votes in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race as ballots continued to be counted Friday, leaving the contest too close to call. An estimate put about 30,000 votes outstanding, a total that could shift as election officials provide more information.
The remaining ballots matter in a race that could determine the size of the Democrats’ majority in the U.S. Senate next year. Mississippi’s decentralized counting process has left the number of ballots yet to be counted uncertain.
Mississippi has 82 counties, and there is no central system for reporting vote totals. Counties handle their own elections, with some releasing absentee ballot results on election night and others reporting them in the following days.
Absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by November 10 to count. Provisional ballots, called affidavit ballots in Mississippi, require further checks before officials can accept them.
Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said Thursday that about 7,000 provisional ballots had been processed, with about 80% accepted. Counties must report provisional ballot results when they submit certified results to the state on November 13.
Voters who cast provisional ballots because they lacked photo identification have five business days after Election Day to present acceptable identification. A ballot may also be provisional when officials find a voter’s registration inactive.
Past county reporting patterns inform estimates of the outstanding vote. In the 2024 general election, 12.7% of votes were counted after all precincts had reported on election night.
The estimate for outstanding ballots stood at around 44,000 on Friday morning before being revised to closer to 30,000 by 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time. The estimate could change as further details arrive.
In Hinds County, a Democratic stronghold, an estimated roughly 7% of ballots remained uncounted as of Friday at 4:45 p.m. In 2024, roughly 15% of votes there were still uncounted after all Election Day precincts had reported.
Republican and Democratic groups have sent lawyers and volunteers to monitor the process. The National Republican Senatorial Committee asked county election officials to separate and preserve affidavit ballots, while Colom’s campaign counsel urged counties to follow ordinary procedures.
Mississippi has no automatic recount law. A recount can happen only if a court orders one in response to a lawsuit involving a county or county election commission.
