Four days after the election, Mississippi's U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom was still too close to call on Saturday night, WMC reported in a story shared by WBBJ.
With about 97% of votes counted, Colom led by roughly 2,500 votes. Mississippi and Alaska were the two states still waiting on final results.
Thousands of ballots still had to be reviewed, including absentee and provisional ballots. Some voters were turned away on Election Day because of what election commissions called verification issues, which led to provisional ballots that now have to be checked one at a time.
Kidada Brown of the Hinds County Election Commission said every ballot has to be examined to decide whether it is accepted or rejected. "So we're just asking people to be patient with us. We're working hard," Brown said.
Both candidates said they are staying in the fight. Hyde-Smith told WLBT, "We are not backing down. This election is not over," adding that her team was monitoring the remaining ballots across the state.
Colom said he remains confident and that his team is working to make sure voters are heard. "We got an army of lawyers," he said, adding that election commissioners and circuit clerks "are not going to be intimidated."
Mississippi is one of three states without early voting. The state has until Friday, Nov. 13, to certify the remaining ballots and determine the winner.
Sources: WMC via WBBJ; WLBT