Mississippi vote count drags in US Senate cliffhanger

Election officials in Mississippi are working frantically to verify thousands of outstanding ballots in a nail-biting US Senate race, three days after Democrats took control with a historic win against President Donald Trump's Republicans. Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by fewer than 2,000 votes, with about 96% of ballots counted.

The lengthy count is due to Mississippi's procedures, which allow authorities several days to process mail-in and provisional ballots, potentially enough to decide the contest. As of Thursday, around 3,300 absentee ballots were still outstanding, and between 12,000 and 20,000 provisional votes remain uncounted. These votes are from individuals whose eligibility could not be confirmed at polling stations, often due to missing identification or registration issues.

Voters have until Tuesday to rectify any issues with their ballots, while mail votes postmarked on Election Day can still arrive by Tuesday. Mississippi's 82 counties have until November 13 to certify their results. The tight race has led both parties to bring in lawyers, with Republicans requesting officials to retain records of the outstanding ballots in case of legal challenges.

Mississippi has no automatic recount procedure, but candidates can seek court intervention. A Colom victory would be unprecedented in a state Trump won by over 20 percentage points in 2024. It would also mark the first time a Black senator is elected in Mississippi since the Reconstruction era. Nationwide, the stakes have lessened after Democrats secured control of both chambers in the midterm elections, despite not needing Mississippi to do so.

Further updates on the count are expected on November 10, 13, and 18, with ranked-choice tabulation due on the final date.