Mississippi Senate Race: Where the Count Stands

The count

• Scott Colom Democrat467,84649.1%
• Cindy Hyde-Smith Republican465,34848.8%
• Ty Pinkins Independent20,0282.1%

Colom leads by 2,498 votes

As of Nov. 6, 4:29 p.m. CT, WLBT election results page (unofficial)

Still to be counted

• Affidavit ballots still being reviewed12,000 to 20,000 (estimate)

  Secretary of State Michael Watson's estimate on Nov. 5. He said 76% of those reviewed so far had been accepted. County election commissions review them in open meetings and report as they finish.

  Source: WLBT, Nov. 5

• Mail ballots that could still arriveAbout 3,300

  Ballots postmarked by Election Day count if they reach the circuit clerk by Tuesday, Nov. 10. The Mississippi Free Press reported Watson's figure of about 3,300 on Nov. 5, down from about 3,600 in a Nov. 4 Secretary of State statement. Mississippi Today reported on Nov. 5 that, of the 3,600 ballots Watson cited on Nov. 4, not all would realistically reach election workers by the deadline.

  Source: Mississippi Free Press liveblog; Mississippi Today, Nov. 5

Key dates

• Nov. 3passed

  Election Day

  Voting took place Tuesday, Nov. 3.

• Nov. 10passed

  Affidavit ID deadline and last day for mail ballots to arrive

  Voters who cast an affidavit ballot because they had no photo ID must present an acceptable photo ID at their circuit clerk's office. Mail ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 must arrive.

  Source: Mississippi Secretary of State, Oct. 26

• Nov. 13passed

  Counties certify their results

  Each county election commission must certify its results and send them to the Secretary of State within 10 days of the election.

  Source: Mississippi Secretary of State, Nov. 4

Questions people are asking

Latest updates

1. Nov. 6, 5:50 p.m. CT

   Colom's lead grows to about 2,500 as counties report

   Colom led Hyde-Smith 467,846 to 465,348 on WLBT's results page at 4:29 p.m. Friday, a margin of 2,498 votes, with independent Ty Pinkins at 20,028. The Associated Press had Colom ahead by 2,493 earlier in the afternoon with about 97% of the vote in, and it had not called the race.

   The margin has grown from 43 votes early Wednesday as counties continue to report results. Early county results show affidavit ballots helping Colom even where Hyde-Smith is strong: in Alcorn, Chickasaw and Itawamba counties combined she netted just 71 votes from them despite big overall leads in two of those counties, and in Lafayette County they went 142 to 60 for Colom, the Mississippi Free Press reported.

   Hyde-Smith's campaign said in a Nov. 5 Facebook statement, quoted by WLBT, that "thousands of votes remain to be counted from dozens of Republican counties" and that it is "confident those votes will reinforce her path to victory."

   Secretary of State Michael Watson has estimated 12,000 to 20,000 affidavit ballots statewide, with 76% accepted so far. He put the number of mail ballots that could still arrive by Tuesday, Nov. 10, at about 3,300 on Nov. 5, the Mississippi Free Press reported.

   Source: WLBT, Nov. 5 (Hyde-Smith campaign statement); WLBT election results page (unofficial); Yahoo News, citing the Associated Press, Nov. 6; WLBT, Nov. 4; Mississippi Free Press, Nov. 6; Mississippi Free Press, Nov. 5; WLBT, Nov. 5; Mississippi Free Press liveblog

Affidavit ballots: where to bring your ID

Only voters who cast an affidavit ballot because they had no acceptable photo ID, or who have a religious objection to being photographed, need to act: they have until Tuesday, Nov. 10, to go to the circuit clerk's office in their county. Hours vary by county, so call ahead. Some counties have two circuit clerk offices; if yours does, call to ask which office takes your ID. Where a number or address is missing, public sources disagreed or listed only a mailing address; the state Elections Hotline is 1-800-829-6786.

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