The fight over who will represent Mississippi in the United States Senate moved from the ballot box to the counting room on Thursday, as Democrat Scott Colom held a lead of about 1,800 votes over Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in a race still too close to call three days after Election Day. With as many as 20,000 absentee and provisional ballots still to be counted and a December 3 certification deadline approaching, both campaigns have sent lawyers and observers across the state to watch every ballot, and to challenge any they believe should not count.

Key Points

• Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by about 1,800 votes late Thursday, November 5, 2026, with the Mississippi Senate race still uncalled.
• The campaigns disagree on the outstanding ballots: Colom's campaign puts provisional ballots at 15,000, Republicans estimate as many as 20,000 absentee and provisional ballots, and Secretary of State Michael Watson says the total is unknown.
• The state Republican Party has sent more than 50 volunteer attorneys and observers across Mississippi, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has deployed lawyers and resources for the Democrats.
• The NAACP has deployed members and volunteers to all 82 counties to monitor the vetting of provisional ballots, and voters have until November 10 to resolve photo ID issues at county courthouses.
• Dueling letters went to local officials on Thursday: Hyde-Smith's lawyers asked them to segregate affidavit ballots, while Colom's lawyers called that unlawful.

What Happened

Three days after voters went to the polls on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Mississippi still does not know who won its Senate seat. The count has moved slowly and steadily in Colom's direction, from 43 votes on Wednesday to 1,138 on Wednesday evening and about 1,800 late on Thursday, with counting continuing in counties across the state.

The reason the race remains uncalled is the pile of ballots still to be decided. Provisional ballots, known in Mississippi as affidavit ballots, are cast by voters who lacked photo identification at the polls or whose names did not appear on the poll books. Each one must be checked by county election commissioners before it can be counted or rejected.

Both campaigns now have extensive legal teams on the ground. The Colom campaign is represented by the Elias Law Group, the election law firm led by Marc Elias, and Fair Fight Action is working with the campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. On the Republican side, the state party has sent more than 50 volunteer attorneys and observers across the state to watch the count.

Background and Context

Hyde-Smith was appointed to the Senate in 2018 and won election in her own right later that year and again in 2020. Colom, a former prosecutor and local elected official, mounted a challenge that few national observers expected to be competitive in a state Donald Trump carried comfortably.

The stakes go beyond Mississippi. Democrats have already won control of the Senate in the midterm elections, and the Mississippi result will set the size of their majority. A Colom victory would also make history: he would be Mississippi's first Democratic senator in nearly 40 years and the state's first Black senator since Reconstruction.

Mississippi Senate Race Ballot Count

The counting is now a county-by-county process, and the most visible battleground is Hinds County, home to the state capital, Jackson. There, election commissioners are sorting hundreds of affidavit ballots in public, including 233 cast by students at Jackson State University. Some have been rejected because the voters were registered in the wrong precinct, a reminder that the provisional count will not all break one way.

Across the state, the NAACP has deployed members and volunteers to all 82 counties to monitor how provisional ballots are vetted. Voters who cast affidavit ballots because they lacked photo identification have until November 10 to resolve the issue at their county courthouse.

The dispute sharpened on Thursday when the two campaigns sent dueling letters to local election officials. Lawyers for Hyde-Smith asked officials to segregate affidavit ballots and preserve all records related to them, a step that typically precedes a legal challenge. Lawyers for Colom replied that segregating the ballots in that way would be unlawful and warned officials against tracing any ballot back to an individual voter, which Mississippi law forbids.

Reactions and Quotes

Secretary of State Michael Watson, Mississippi's chief election official, has declined to put a number on the outstanding ballots, saying the total is unknown while counties continue to report. That uncertainty is itself a source of tension: the Colom campaign's figure of 15,000 provisional ballots and the Republican estimate of as many as 20,000 absentee and provisional ballots point to very different endings, and neither side can be sure which ballots will survive vetting.

Why It Matters

The Mississippi count matters first because it decides a Senate seat, and with it the size of the Democratic majority in the next Senate. A larger majority changes what the party can pass, how it handles nominations, and how much leverage individual senators hold. A narrower one leaves less room for error on every vote.

It matters second because of what a Colom win would mean for Mississippi itself. The state has not sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly four decades, and it has not had a Black senator since Reconstruction. A victory for Colom would break both of those patterns at once.

What Happens Next

The first hard date is November 10, the deadline for voters who cast affidavit ballots to resolve photo identification issues at their county courthouses. Ballots cured by that date can still be counted, so the totals may keep moving into next week.

After that, counties will finish their counts and certify their results ahead of Mississippi's December 3 certification deadline. Either campaign could ask a court to review the counting decisions if the margin stays close. Until the race is called and certified, both legal teams will stay in place.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big is Scott Colom's lead?
About 1,800 votes late on Thursday, November 5, 2026, up from 43 votes on Wednesday and 1,138 votes on Wednesday evening. The race remains uncalled.

How many ballots are still outstanding?
The Colom campaign estimates 15,000 provisional ballots remain, while Republicans estimate as many as 20,000 absentee and provisional ballots. Secretary of State Michael Watson says the total is unknown.

What is an affidavit ballot?
In Mississippi, an affidavit ballot is a provisional ballot cast by a voter who lacked photo identification or whose name was not on the poll book. County election commissioners must verify each one before it is counted.

What is the November 10 deadline?
Voters who cast affidavit ballots because of a photo ID issue have until November 10 to resolve it at their county courthouse. Ballots cured by then can still be counted.

When will the Mississippi Senate race be decided?
Counties must certify results by December 3, 2026. It could be called sooner, or go to a legal challenge if the margin stays close.

Related coverage: Mississippi Senate Race: Colom Leads Hyde-Smith by 1,138 Votes, Still Uncalled and Mississippi Senate Race Still Uncalled as Scott Colom Leads Cindy Hyde-Smith by Just 43 Votes.