Hinds County on pace to finish Mississippi Senate count Monday, upload Wednesday

Hinds County Election officials are on pace to finish counting affidavit ballots in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race by the end of Monday, and expect to upload results on Wednesday, an attorney for the county told Mississippi Today.

The results in Mississippi’s most populous county and a Democratic stronghold could cement the outcome of the Magnolia State nail-biter between Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom. The narrow margin between Hyde-Smith and Colom has already shocked many across the nation, but it has remained too close to call since Election Day. Colom led by nearly 2,600 votes with nearly 1 million votes cast and thousands yet to be reported.

Hinds County early Monday still reported about 7% of the vote outstanding, as officials there and in other counties continue processing affidavit ballots.

Tony Gaylor, an attorney for the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, said counting most affidavits would likely conclude on Monday. But voters who had issues with their IDs have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to “cure” their ballots with the circuit clerk.

The commission then will refer the ballots to the Hinds County Resolution Board, which makes determinations on affidavit ballots after initial eligibility checks.

“I think by the end of the day they’ll probably finish counting the affidavits,” Gaylor said. “They won’t be uploaded until Wednesday, when the (Hinds County) Resolution Board has the final count.”

The resolution board will “go over all of the accepted affidavits,” and the accepted ballots will be added to the vote tally. After that happens, Gaylor said, the commission would likely be able to upload results.

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Under state law, counties have until Nov. 13 to certify their election results. A legal challenge could then ensue if one of the campaigns challenges accepted ballots, a potentially messy process that could entail filing lawsuits in separate county courts.

The fundraising arm of the Senate Republicans has demanded election officials around the state separate and preserve affidavit ballots. Democratic election lawyers and voting rights advocates have said they are confident Colom will win and called for affidavit ballots to be reviewed in public.

Mississippi has a “bottom-up” system of election administration, where 82 county circuit clerks and election commissions are responsible for processing their own affidavit and absentee ballots.

Voters who cast affidavit ballots only need to return to their local circuit clerk’s offices if they experienced voter ID issues at their polling place so that they can present a valid ID.

Hyde-Smith had not published a statement since Friday and has not done a public event since her election night watch party, in which she all but declared victory. On Friday, she vowed to “see this through to the very end!”

Since election night, Colom has travelled the state thanking supporters and promoting local businesses.

“We’re confident that once every lawful vote is counted, he’ll be Mississippi’s next U.S. senator,” said Gerard Henderson, Colom’s campaign mananger, in a statement on Monday. “Thank you to everyone who got us here and believes Mississippi Matters!”