Mississippi Senate: 15,000 Unverified Ballots in Uncalled Race
With fewer than 2,000 votes separating the candidates, state officials admit they lack a precise count of outstanding provisional votes.
By Andrew Kovalenko ·
Fewer than 2,000 votes separate incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom as of Friday noon in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race. The narrow margin has exposed gaps in the state’s election reporting, leaving officials unable to provide a precise count of remaining ballots.
Scott Colom’s campaign reported late Tuesday that it was aware of more than 15,000 provisional ballots, locally known as affidavit ballots, which require individual verification before being counted. State Republican Party chair estimated on Thursday that approximately 20,000 ballots remain outstanding, including absentee votes that can be legally received until November 10 if postmarked by Election Day.
Secretary of State Michael Watson stated Friday that his office has processed over 9,000 of those provisional ballots. Watson noted that because Mississippi’s 82 counties administer their own elections, local officials are the primary source for real-time data. County results are not required to be transmitted to the state until next week.
Michael Morse, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania who studies voting, described the lack of available information as shocking for such a high-profile contest. “I cannot tell you basic things,” Morse said, adding that he struggled to understand what was unfolding in the counting process.
Mississippi’s provisional ballot rate may rank among the highest in the nation this cycle. If the Colom campaign’s estimate holds, the 15,000 affidavit ballots would represent roughly 1.5% of total Senate votes cast. This figure is nearly double the provisional rate in North Carolina and exceeds the rates in all but four states during the 2022 midterm elections.
The high volume stems from a specific registration rule. In most states, voters marked as “inactive” can cast regular ballots for several years while their status is reviewed. Mississippi requires these voters to cast provisional ballots and complete additional forms for later review. Local officials cited questionable eligibility for many of these voters, a practice potentially linked to the state’s experimental use of credit data to cull voter lists.
Kathy Boockvar, the former Democratic secretary of state of Pennsylvania, said the process can feel suspicious to voters who believe they are eligible. “Transparency and good data is one of the best solutions we have to combating all the suspicion and distrust,” Boockvar said. Watson defended the system on social media on Tuesday, writing that the extra time required to vote via affidavit ballot adds election integrity through cleaner voter rolls.
