Senate race undecided as ballots processed
Scott Colom holds a lead over Cindy Hyde-Smith, but officials in Rankin and Hinds counties continue counting affidavit votes.
By Rafael Delgado ·
Mississippi's U.S. Senate race remains undecided as election officials process outstanding ballots.
District Attorney Scott Colom currently holds the lead over incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. The final outcome depends on the processing of affidavit ballots submitted by voters who lacked proper identification on election day.
In Rankin County, election commissioners and volunteers worked through the night to handle these submissions. Tonya Rivers, the election commissioner for District Three, reported that the county received 1,667 affidavit ballots. She noted that this figure exceeds the number seen in previous years. Processing began around 10 p.m. on election night and continued into the following day.
Rivers stated that the county has 10 business days to process and submit all affidavit ballots. This window includes time to contact voters who need to confirm their identity with photo ID. She said officials would work nonstop to have the results ready for certification on day five. Rivers asked residents to be patient while the team works through the volume of ballots.
Angela English, president of the Rankin County NAACP branch, worked alongside the election officials. English emphasized the need to count every valid vote accurately rather than rushing the process. She warned that if an affidavit ballot is missing required information or is incomplete, the vote will not count. Voters have no opportunity to correct errors after Election Day.
In Hinds County, commissioners began processing affidavit ballots on the afternoon following the election. Yvonne Horton, election commissioner for District Four, said her precinct saw a little over 100 affidavit ballots. This was fewer than in previous years. Horton advised voters who used affidavit ballots to verify their ID with the circuit court. She explained that those voters have five business days to provide acceptable ID or their votes will be automatically excluded.
Kidada Brown, the election commissioner for Hinds County District One, also urged residents to exercise patience. She described the upcoming work as a long process that requires careful attention to ensure accuracy.
