OAN Staff Addie Davis
6:40 PM – Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson noted that thousands of mail-in ballots still need to be received amid the tight Senate race in the Magnolia State.
With 99.83% of the vote counted, Democrat candidate Scott Colom is ahead with 464,926 votes, with GOP incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith trailing behind with 463,788, according to the Associated Press on Wednesday. Though still close, the figures represent a jump for Colom, who led by only 65 votes earlier in the day.
"Since Mississippi is a bottom-up state, circuit clerks and election commissioners run elections at the county level," Watson said in a Wednesday statement.
Per the secretary, 70 of the 82 counties in the state uploaded their unofficial results through the Statewide Election Management System (SEMS), with counties having until November 13th to submit their certified results to his office.
Watson also explained that about 3,600 absentee-by-mail ballots remain outstanding, which have to be received within five business days, as well as affidavit ballots that will be processed within the 10-day window.
"Additionally, there are approximately 3,600 outstanding absentee-by-mail ballots that must be received within five business days and an unknown number of affidavit ballots that will be processed within the 10-day window counties have to certify their results," he said.
"Until we have the certified results, the individual counties will be the best source of the latest and most up-to-date information," he continued.
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