Mississippi's razor-thin Senate race spotlights voter-roll cleanup

Mississippi's razor-thin Senate race between Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom has spotlighted the state's voter-roll cleanup, with Democrat Colom leading by over 2,000 votes as of Friday afternoon. More than 230,000 Mississippians were listed as inactive for the midterms, up from roughly 166,000 in 2024, forcing many to cast affidavit ballots that slow vote counting. The increase followed a $50,000 contract with credit reporting company Experian to verify voter addresses, raising concerns about reliance on third-party data. Election experts question whether data brokers erroneously flagged eligible voters, with some officials noting inaccuracies and voters reporting mix-ups. Experian says it stopped providing services in early 2025, and the state now uses IDI Data and Postal Service records.