Mississippi Senate Race Could Hinge on Affidavit Ballots: What To Know
Summary
Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race remained unresolved, with Democrat Scott Colom leading Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by about 2,500 votes at the latest count. Officials were reviewing affidavit ballots and awaiting eligible mail ballots, while counties faced a November 13 certification deadline.Key Facts
- More than 15,000 affidavit ballots had been processed statewide as of Monday, and officials reported that about 76 percent were accepted.
- Secretary of State Michael Watson said about 2,500 absentee ballots remained outstanding as of Monday.
- Seventy-five of Mississippi’s 82 counties had uploaded unofficial results, while one had submitted official results.
- An affidavit ballot is set aside when officials cannot immediately confirm a voter’s eligibility; local officials decide whether to count it after checking the voter’s information.
- Mississippi does not have a standard statewide procedure that automatically triggers a recount when the margin falls below a set threshold.
- Hyde-Smith’s lawyers asked all 82 counties to keep affidavit ballots separate from other votes; the request was not a lawsuit.
- The article says voter-roll checks using data from Experian, a credit-reporting company, have come under scrutiny as officials process affidavit ballots.
- The article states that eligible mail ballots postmarked by Election Day could arrive through November 10, and counties must certify results by November 13.
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