Vote counting is still underway in Mississippi’s US Senate race, with counties expected to submit their certified results to the state by Friday.
In Hinds County, observers are taking turns monitoring election commissioners as they examine ballots in their offices. One of them, Brenda Scott, said watching the process closely has given her some reassurance, although she remains anxious about the outcome.
“Well, it’s kind of nervous and you kind of want to see, like be a fly on the wall to see. I’m just nervous,” Scott said. “I’m just a nervous type person until it’s over. It’s not over.”
Hinds County District 1 Election Commissioner Kidada Brown acknowledged the pressure surrounding the exercise but said officials were committed to ensuring the process was properly handled.
“This matter is important, but the integrity of this matter is more important,” Brown said.
Brown added that the county’s resolution committee was expected to determine on Wednesday whether affidavit ballots would be approved or rejected.
In neighbouring Rankin County, Circuit Clerk Michelle Adcock said officials were further ahead in processing the ballots and hoped to complete the exercise before the state’s deadline.
“We are working through this as fast as we can, but we want to be thorough with it as well. We have until November 13th, but my commissioners are trying to get this done by tomorrow night at 5:00,” Adcock said.
She also disclosed that her office had received numerous enquiries from residents seeking information about the affidavit ballots.
“We’ve had an outcry from the public wanting to know about these affidavit ballots,” Adcock said.
According to Adcock, affidavit ballots are a regular part of the election process in the county, although their number recorded this year was slightly higher than in 2024.
She explained that the affidavit ballots approved in Rankin County had not been opened, stressing that only members of the bipartisan resolution committee were authorised to do so.
“So we don’t know if it’s a Republican ballot, Democrat ballot. All we have is a name where they live,” Adcock said.
Meanwhile, questions remain over the distribution of votes in the closely contested Senate race as officials continue to review results across Mississippi.
Statewide figures show that more than 14,000 affidavit ballots have been processed, with approximately 77 per cent accepted.
