Two Senate races remain too close to call, and the final results could take days or weeks. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom led incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,833 votes as of Thursday. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola led incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by 637 votes.
The outcomes will determine the size of the Democratic Senate majority in January. Both races still have enough uncounted or outstanding ballots to change the result, and both could draw legal challenges before the winners are settled.
Mississippi officials have until November 10 to receive mail-in ballots if they were postmarked on or before Election Day. Counties then have until November 13 to submit certified results. Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said about 3,600 absentee-by-mail ballots remain outstanding, more than Colom’s current lead. County clerks sent 122,590 absentee ballots for the 2026 midterms.
Watson also said an “unknown number” of affidavit ballots must be processed by November 13. Mississippi voters cast affidavit ballots when their names are not in the poll book, their address has changed, they lack ID, or they were previously marked as having voted by mail. In the last two election cycles, 70 to 75 percent of affidavit ballots were accepted. The National Republican Senatorial Committee sent county election officials a letter Thursday asking them to separate and secure all affidavit ballots.
Alaska’s count could take longer because of its absentee ballot deadlines and ranked-choice voting system. The Division of Elections plans an update on November 10 with more early and absentee ballots, another on November 13 after the domestic mail ballot deadline, and a final official count by November 18, including ballots from Alaskans living abroad. Tens of thousands of ballots are estimated to remain uncounted.
If neither Peltola nor Sullivan has more than 50 percent after the final count, ranked-choice tabulation begins. Votes from the last-place candidate are transferred to voters’ second choices until one candidate passes 50 percent. Close races like these show why clear rules, secure ballots and public trust in the count matter for the whole country.
