Mississippi Senate race too close to call with 30,000 ballots outstanding

The U.S. Senate race in Mississippi remains too close to call, with Democrat Scott Colom leading Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by nearly 2,500 votes and roughly 30,000 ballots still outstanding as of Friday afternoon. The outcome hinges on uncounted absentee and provisional ballots. The Associated Press revised its outstanding vote estimate down from 44,000 after gathering updated county data, though the figure may shift. Mississippi lacks a central vote reporting system, and counties report absentee and provisional results at different times, with absentee ballots accepted through Nov. 10 and provisional results due by Nov. 13. In Hinds County, a Democratic stronghold, about 7% of votes remain uncounted, while Rankin County has over 2,000 outstanding ballots. Mississippi does not allow automatic or candidate-requested recounts, only court-ordered ones, and the AP will declare a winner only if the lead becomes insurmountable.