Mississippi Senate Race Hinges on 15,000 Ballots as Monitors Report Access Issues
Scott Colom holds a 2,574-vote lead over Cindy Hyde-Smith, but thousands of affidavit ballots remain unverified ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
By Layla Richardson ·
The outcome of Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race will not be known until at least Tuesday, Nov. 10, when election officials must finalize thousands of outstanding ballots.
As of Nov. 7, Democrat Scott Colom led Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by 2,574 votes, with 97% of expected ballots counted. Secretary of State Michael Watson stated that 11,202 affidavit ballots had been processed by Nov. 6, with 78% accepted. Colom’s campaign estimates that up to 15,000 affidavit ballots were cast statewide. Watson acknowledged that his office did not know how many remained outstanding.
Volunteer ballot monitors have documented difficulties in observing the count. Natt Offiah, director of organizing for the People’s Advocacy Institute, said he and a colleague were redirected repeatedly while trying to observe counting in Madison County. They discovered the circuit clerk’s office was under construction and spent hours locating the correct site. “There is no standardized process for counting. Each county can pick and choose when they want to start counting. So, we’re running into this runaround issue,” Offiah said. In DeSoto County, organizer Kelly Jacobs alleged officials initially blocked her from observing, though access was eventually granted after work had begun. DeSoto County Election Commissioner Laura Edler disputed the denial, stating public members were watching.
The counting process is complicated by voter registration errors. The state paid $50,000 to Experian for commercial data to update records, resulting in thousands of voters being moved to inactive status. Rachel Madden, a DeSoto County voter, found her registration marked inactive on Election Day. She cast an affidavit ballot and drove 25 minutes to the courthouse to correct her address, which records incorrectly listed as Memphis, Tennessee. “Even in person that day, they were not helpful. If I had not insisted, I don’t think they would have done it. I just don’t think that’s fair or right,” Madden said.
Colom has already flipped Forrest County, a district named for Confederate general and first KKK grand wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest. With 97% of county votes counted, Colom leads Hyde-Smith 54% to 44%. This marks a shift from the 2024 presidential election, when Donald Trump carried the county 58% to 40%. The county contains a memorial to Vernon Dahmer, a civil rights activist murdered in 1966, engraved with the words, “If you don’t vote, you don’t count.”
Both campaigns have deployed attorneys for potential legal challenges, as Mississippi lacks a general statutory recount procedure for this race. Hyde-Smith’s campaign stated it believes thousands of votes from Republican counties will reinforce her position. Colom said, “I know that absentee and affidavits trend Democratic. We’re going to win.”
Watson defended the procedures in a statement, saying the office used every resource to prevent ineligible voting by nonresidents or those with fake addresses.
