Thousands of absentee and affidavit ballots are still being counted in Mississippi, leaving the outcome of the close U.S. Senate race between Democratic candidate Scott Colom and Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith undecided.
The race remains too close to call, with Colom holding a slim lead over Hyde-Smith. If Colom wins, he would be the first African American elected to the U.S. Senate from Mississippi since Reconstruction.
Colom’s lead has widened slightly since earlier Wednesday, when he was ahead by only a few dozen votes.
The ballots left to be counted include provisional ballots cast by voters who didn’t immediately meet voting requirements at the polls. The final results may take days to determine.
Election officials said Tuesday’s scanned ballots have been counted, as have absentee ballots that were cast in person. The ballots that are still being counted are affidavit ballots and mail-in ballots that were postmarked no later than Nov. 3.
Affidavits are filed by voters who could not show I.D. at the polls. Those voters must show an approved form of I.D. at their circuit clerk’s office by Nov. 10 for their vote to be counted.
Once all the ballots are in, they will be processed by election commissioners across the state. They will either be accepted and added to the vote count, or they will be rejected. That process can take a few days.
Candidates may have representatives present for the vote count.
Every county in Mississippi has a Nov. 10 deadline for all votes to be counted and submitted. They must be certified by Nov. 13.
Mississippi does not have a recount provision in state law, and there’s no automatic recount process. But a challenger can seek a court order for a recount.
“We prepared for this moment,” Colom told Hearst sister station WAPT in Mississippi. “Our campaign, our volunteers, the people of Mississippi are not surprised.”
The race remains tight, with experts unable to make a final projection.
Cheikh Taylor, chair of the Mississippi Democratic Party, urged patience.
“I think the race is close. Everyone should just hold their horses for a little while and wait for those affidavit votes to come in. They’re going to be very important,” Taylor said.
