Why Mississippi’s Ballot Count Takes So Long
Mail ballots and affidavit ballots are still being counted under state law. Here is what that means, what the deadlines are, and what you can do before the next election.
Mississippi's U.S. Senate race hasn't been called because state law lets mail ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 arrive through Tuesday, Nov. 10, and requires affidavit ballots to be verified before they count. County election commissions then have 10 days from the election to certify results. This is the process working as written, not a delay or a mistake.
As of Thursday, Nov. 5, Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race between Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom had not been called. Colom held a narrow lead, and both campaigns said thousands of ballots were still outstanding.
A lot of people are asking the same questions. Why is this taking so long? Why didn’t they just stop counting Tuesday night? Here is how it works.
Why counting didn’t stop on Election Day
Mississippi law does not require every ballot to be in the building by Tuesday night. Two kinds of ballots can legally come in or be finished afterward.
1. Mail-in absentee ballots. A mailed ballot counts if it is postmarked by Election Day and received within five business days. This year, that deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld that Mississippi rule in a 5-4 decision in June. The Secretary of State’s office has reported roughly 3,300 to 3,600 mail ballots still outstanding, depending on the update.
2. Affidavit ballots. These get the most questions, so here is the plain version.
What is an affidavit ballot?
If you show up to vote and your name isn’t on the poll book, or you don’t have your photo ID, you are not turned away. You fill out an affidavit with your name, address and other identifying information and vote. Your ballot is sealed in an envelope and set aside. Election officials will check it later.
An affidavit ballot is not a rejected ballot. It is a “verify first” ballot. If the Election Commission finds you were registered, eligible and voting in the right precinct, your ballot counts.
Why would your name not be on the poll book? Common reasons:
- You went to the wrong polling place. You may be assigned to a different precinct.
- You moved and never updated your registration.
- Mail from your election office came back undeliverable, so your information needs to be verified.
- Your registration was marked inactive.
How affidavit ballots are reviewed: by hand
Affidavit ballots are not sorted by a machine. Each one is reviewed by people, one envelope at a time.
When a voter casts an affidavit ballot, the ballot is sealed in an envelope with the voter’s name, address and other identifying information, and the reason it was an affidavit ballot. Ballots cast because the voter didn’t have a photo ID are sealed in a separate envelope from all other affidavit ballots.
Envelopes from each precinct are brought to the Election Commission. A commissioner reads the information on the envelope and checks it against the records to decide whether the ballot is accepted or rejected.
Can you fix it after you voted? For most reasons, no. If you voted by affidavit because you were at the wrong precinct, weren’t on the poll book or weren’t registered, there is nothing further to do. The Election Commission decides from the records.
The exception is a missing photo ID. If you voted by affidavit because you didn’t have a photo ID, you have until Tuesday, November 10 to show an acceptable photo ID at the Circuit Clerk’s office, and then your ballot can be counted. If you voted by affidavit because of a religious objection to photo ID, you can complete an affidavit of religious objection at the same office until Tuesday, November 10.
Every affidavit voter should have been given a sheet explaining how to find out whether their ballot was counted and, if not, why.
Inactive is not the same as removed
This is the part that gets mixed up online. A voter marked inactive is still registered. A voter who is removed (often called “purged”) has been taken off the rolls. Those are two very different things.
Election officials can mark you inactive when they get a sign you may have moved, such as mail that comes back undeliverable. They can also do it if you haven’t voted or updated your registration in a while. They send you a notice first.
An inactive voter can still vote, but only by affidavit ballot. If you then don’t respond to the notice or vote through two more federal general elections, you can be removed.
Removal also happens for other reasons, such as death, a move out of the county after the required steps are completed, or a disqualifying conviction under Mississippi law.
What happens next
- Tuesday, Nov. 10: last day for mail ballots to arrive and for voter-ID affidavit voters to show ID.
- Within 10 days of the election: county election commissions certify results and send them to the Secretary of State.
Why it matters to Stone County
Stone County’s ballots are part of this statewide count. In a race this close, every county’s mail and affidavit ballots are part of what gets finished in the days after Election Day.
If you voted by affidavit in Stone County, your ballot goes to the Stone County Election Commission for review. If you voted that way because you didn’t have a photo ID, you have until Tuesday, Nov. 10 to show an acceptable ID at the Stone County Circuit Clerk’s office.
Stone County’s results have to be certified by the Election Commission and sent to the Secretary of State within 10 days of the election.
Next time, a regular ballot depends on your name being on the poll book at the right precinct. Checking your registration now is the easiest way to avoid an affidavit ballot.
Who does what
Under Mississippi law, the Circuit Clerk’s office handles voter registration and absentee voting. The Election Commission runs Election Day operations, hires and trains poll workers, and maintains the voter rolls. County staff, the Sheriff’s Office and Board of Supervisors support the work. Poll workers start before 7 a.m. and often finish well after the polls close. Then the ballots and paperwork have to be accounted for and brought in.
What you can do before the next election
- Check your registration and polling place on the Secretary of State’s website, or call the Stone County Circuit Clerk.
- Update your registration if you moved or changed your name, or if you haven’t voted in several years.
- Bring a photo ID.
- Ask questions. If something looks wrong to you, call the Circuit Clerk or Election Commission. The people who run elections can usually explain it in one conversation.
Stone County Circuit Clerk, Stone County Courthouse, 323 E. Cavers Ave., Wiggins. Phone: (601) 928-5246.
Voter Registration Verification: https://www.msegov.com/sos/voter_registration/amiregistered/Search
WigginsMS.com thanks Stone County Circuit Clerk Treba Davis for reviewing this article for accuracy.
Sources: Mississippi Today; NBC News; Magnolia Tribune; Mississippi Free Press; WLBT; Mississippi Secretary of State election calendar, Y’all Vote pages and poll-manager training materials; reporting on Watson v. Republican National Committee (U.S. Supreme Court, June 29, 2026). Rules and deadlines can change. Confirm with your Circuit Clerk.