JACKSON, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith says she is not backing down in the Mississippi Senate race. Her message came Friday as new state numbers showed more than 8,700 affidavit ballots accepted so far. Meanwhile, both campaigns are fighting over how counties should handle those ballots.
Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican Hyde-Smith by 2,498 votes in the latest unofficial results. Colom has 467,846 votes. Hyde-Smith has 465,348. As of Friday afternoon at 4:58pm. The Associated Press had not called the race,
New numbers on affidavit ballots
An affidavit ballot is cast when a voter’s name or ID can’t be confirmed at the polls. Officials check each one before it counts.
Counties have reviewed 11,202 affidavit ballots statewide so far. Elizabeth Jonson shared those numbers with Queen City Newsfeed by email Friday afternoon. She is communications director for the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office.
Of those, 8,717 were accepted and 2,485 were rejected. That means about 78 out of every 100 have been accepted. Earlier this week, Secretary of State Michael Watson put that rate at 76%.
Watson had estimated that 12,000 to 20,000 affidavit ballots were cast in all. However, his office did not say how many are still waiting to be reviewed.
New numbers on mail ballots
Counties mailed out 13,145 absentee ballots for this election. So far, 10,288 of them have come back. That leaves 2,857 that have not been returned yet.
Mail ballots can still count if they arrive by Tuesday, Nov. 10. Also, Jonson said no county has reported problems with counting. In addition, no county has said it expects trouble meeting the Nov. 13 deadline to certify results.
What Hyde-Smith’s campaign asked counties to do
On Thursday, lawyers for Hyde-Smith’s campaign sent a letter to county election commissioners and circuit clerks. The letter asks counties to keep affidavit ballots apart from all other ballots, WLBT reported.
The letter asks each county to do three things. First, keep affidavit ballots separate from regular and absentee ballots. Second, write down what happens to each ballot. Third, save all records tied to them.
The letter says these ballots could be evidence if the race is challenged later. “Candidate Hyde-Smith is entitled to their preservation in an unaltered and identifiable state,” the letter reads.
Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Mike Hurst spoke outside the Hinds County Courthouse in Jackson on Thursday. He said the letter is standard for a race this close, WLOX reported. He also said the goal is to make sure the law is followed and no evidence is lost.
In addition, Hurst estimated that about 20,000 ballots had not been counted yet. He said he believes many of them are in areas that lean Republican.
Hyde-Smith’s campaign also posted on Facebook on Thursday. “Cindy Hyde-Smith is going to represent Mississippi in the United States Senate for the next six years,” the post said. It added, “We expect Democratic lawyers to pull out every stop, and we are prepared.”
How Colom’s campaign responded
Later Thursday, Colom’s lawyers sent their own letter to every county. They called the request unlawful. They said nothing in state law lets counties keep counted affidavit ballots apart from other ballots.
“If you depart from ordinary election procedures as you have been asked to do, you will violate Mississippi voters’ rights and Mississippi election law,” the letter reads.
Colom’s team also raised privacy concerns. They said separating ballots could make it possible to link a ballot to the person who cast it. That would break the rule that every vote is secret.
Colom’s campaign also responded with a statement. “This desperate stunt from national Republicans is what you do when you know you’re about to lose a race,” the campaign said.
On Friday, Colom spoke to reporters. He said he would accept the results either way. “I’m ready to accept the results, right? That’s what our democracy is all about,” Colom said.
He also called on Hyde-Smith to speak in public. “Where is Cindy Hyde-Smith? Why can’t she speak for herself?” he said. Colom added that he does not believe she has a path to win.
What Hyde-Smith said Friday
Later Friday afternoon, Hyde-Smith spoke out in a Facebook post. “We are not backing down. This election is not over,” she wrote.
She also said her team is watching the count across the state. “Our team is working across Mississippi to monitor the remaining ballots and protect the integrity of the process. We will see this through to the very end!” she wrote.
On Thursday, her campaign also said election workers need time to finish. “They must have the time to complete that work and ensure every lawful ballot is accurately counted and every Mississippian’s voice is heard,” the campaign said.
What happens next
County officials have until Nov. 13 to certify their results. Mississippi is the only state with no recount law. Because of that, any challenge would likely go to court after the results are certified. The U.S. Senate could also be asked to step in, Newsweek reported.
What local voters need to know
Did you vote by affidavit because you did not have a photo ID? If so, you have until Nov. 10 to show it at your county Circuit Clerk’s Office. Watson said other affidavit voters do not need to go back.
You can also watch the process yourself. By law, county election commissioners must review affidavit ballots in open public meetings. Call your county Circuit Clerk’s Office to ask when your election commission meets.
You can also check the status of your ballot on the Secretary of State’s website. Watson said your status will not show up until county commissioners enter it.
Queen City Newsfeed will keep following the count.
