Mississippi Counties Face Friday Certification After Colom’s Senate Call as Alaska Stays Uncalled

November 13, 2026 · Category: Field & Elections

The midterm map is still being closed in county offices, not on election night. The Associated Press called Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race on Wednesday for Democrat Scott Colom, Mississippi Public Broadcasting reported on Friday, making him the state’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction. Slate said Colom carried the state by about 4,600 votes over Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. That unofficial margin now meets a hard administrative clock: all 82 counties have until 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, to submit certified results to the Secretary of State’s Office, 10 days after Election Day, MPB said. Secretary of State Michael Watson is scheduled to declare the statewide results on Dec. 3, according to Slate.

The count that produced the call was slow by design. Statewide, voters submitted 20,913 affidavit ballots; Hinds County alone received 2,426 and rejected more than half of them, MPB reported. Mississippi has no automatic recount. Slate noted that any legal challenge, including a bid for a court-ordered recount, would have to wait until results are announced, which could come any time after Friday’s county deadline. Both campaigns have had attorneys and observers watching the process.

Alaska remains the uncalled Senate race. After the Division of Elections tallied about 5,000 more ballots on Thursday, Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan 49.1% to 46.8% in first-choice votes — a 5,800-vote lead, about 1,825 votes wider than on Wednesday — with more than 256,000 ballots counted, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Republican Gerald Heikes had 2.1% and the similarly named Dan J. Sullivan had 1.6%. Thousands of absentee ballots remain, with final counting scheduled for Nov. 18. If no one reaches 50% of first-choice votes, ranked-choice tabulation will decide the seat, ADN said. The Alaska Division of Elections said official ranked-choice results will not be available until Nov. 18, once all eligible ballots are reviewed and counted. Alaska’s at-large House race is on the same calendar: Republican Rep. Nick Begich led with 48.5% of first-choice votes to independent Bill Hill’s 41.1%, still short of a majority, ADN reported.

The leftover House map also moved on Friday. The Associated Press called Colorado’s 4th District at 12:53 p.m. for Democrat Eileen Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral, over Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, 48.8% to 47.9%, with Libertarian Douglas Mangeris at 3.3%, the Colorado Sun reported — 10 days after Election Day, and by fewer than 4,000 votes.

Why it matters

Field operations have shifted from turnout to canvass, curing and certification. Friday’s 5 p.m. Mississippi county deadline, the Dec. 3 statewide declaration, Alaska’s Nov. 18 ranked-choice tabulation and the late Colorado House call are the practical markers for when the last Senate seat and remaining House margins become official.

Sources

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