Mississippi Senate Race Remains Unresolved as Ballots Count
Democrat Scott Colom holds a narrow lead over Cindy Hyde-Smith while approximately 20,000 outstanding ballots are processed ahead of the November 13 certification deadline.
By Diego Mendoza ·
Mississippi election officials continued counting ballots in the state's U.S. Senate race on Friday, leaving the contest without a declared winner. Democrat Scott Colom currently leads incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by approximately 2,500 votes as of Friday night. Thousands of additional ballots remain in the queue, keeping the outcome uncertain despite the current margin.
The total number of remaining votes is difficult to pin down due to the mix of late-arriving mail-in ballots and provisional ballots. Mike Hurst, chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, stated on Thursday that the race is far from over. He estimated that roughly 20,000 outstanding ballots are left to be counted. This figure includes absentee mail-in votes as well as affidavit or provisional ballots that require further verification.
Provisional ballots are set aside when voters encounter issues that prevent immediate verification. Voters have until November 10 to resolve these discrepancies. Emily Ommundsen, a political science professor at the University of Mississippi, noted that local counties are proceeding with caution. She explained that officials are hesitant to draw conclusions about the final outcome because the margins are so narrow. Her team is ensuring that counties report accurate totals within the legally prescribed timeframe.
Both campaigns have deployed legal teams to handle potential challenges in the coming days. Colom stated on Friday that his team has secured a large group of lawyers. He claimed that election commissioners and circuit clerks will not be intimidated by the process. Ommundsen expects that if the margins remain this close, court-ordered considerations regarding which ballots are permitted to count may arise.
Mississippi stands as the only state in the nation without a specific recourse for a vote recount, though legal challenges are still anticipated. The state's deadline to certify votes is set for November 13. Ommundsen identified the 13th as the first major opportunity to see how the situation will shake out in Mississippi.
County officials continue to process the final batches of mail-in and provisional votes. The legal teams for both candidates remain on standby. The certification date of November 13 remains the next fixed milestone in the election timeline.
