Mississippi Senate Race Remains Uncalled As Thousands Of Ballots Wait Counting

One week after Election Day, Mississippi officials are still counting thousands of outstanding mail ballots in a tight Senate race. Democrat Scott Colom currently holds a narrow lead over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. The final outcome depends on ballots that arrive days after voters cast them.

Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson released new numbers on Monday evening. He noted that 75 of the state’s 82 counties have uploaded their unofficial results to the state portal. One county submitted official results early, beating the November 13 deadline. Watson explained the delay in his own words on the state portal.

“Some have asked what it means when you see ‘unofficial results’? Those counties are still working through the process, so after each round of processing more votes their totals increase,” Watson said. The state accepts mail ballots if they are postmarked by Election Day and arrive within five days. Watson posted on X Monday that 2,732 absentee mail in ballots remain outstanding.

The Ballot Count Continues

Officials have processed over 14,000 affidavit ballots so far. These are votes cast by people who could not show ID or whose names were missing from the list. Watson stated that roughly 77% of those affidavit ballots have been accepted so far. Officials can reject these ballots if voters do not fix ID issues within five days.

Colom’s campaign manager Gerard Henderson expressed confidence in his candidate’s path to victory. He told reporters that the Democrat will win once all lawful votes are counted. “We’re confident that once every lawful vote is counted, he’ll be Mississippi’s next U.S. senator,” Henderson said. He also thanked supporters for their hard work during the long count.

Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has not conceded the race. Her campaign posted on Friday that they will continue to fight for every vote. “We are not backing down,” the Hyde-Smith campaign account posted. Senator Roger Wicker noted that Hyde-Smith still has a chance to win the seat.

Deadline for Final Results

All 82 counties must submit their certified results to the Secretary of State’s office by this Friday, November 13. The Daily Signal reported that Watson emphasized this deadline for every county in the state. The Daily Wire noted that thousands of ballots could still change the current vote total.

According to reports, 14,239 affidavit ballots are now processed, with acceptance rates near 77%. One week following the election, The Washington Times verified that the race remains uncalled. Officials will keep processing ballots until the deadline passes and all counts are certified.

Hyde-Smith told reporters on Capitol Hill Monday that “they are counting votes” when asked about the race. She declined to give more details, stating, “I don’t do hallway interviews.” The final numbers will be known once the Friday deadline arrives and all paperwork is signed.