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What’s delaying the US Senate election results in Mississippi and Alaska?
Democrats have won control of both chambers of Congress, but two Senate races in Mississippi and Alaska remain undecided. The outcomes could affect how many Republican votes Democrats need to overcome the Senate filibuster, which generally requires 60 votes to end.
In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom led Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes, with 96 per cent counted and about 3,600 mail-in ballots plus an unknown number of provisional ballots outstanding. Certified results are due by 13 November; the state has no automatic recount process, so a court order would be needed. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Dan Sullivan by 637 votes, with nearly a quarter of ballots uncounted; rural distances and ranked-choice voting mean results may take days or weeks, with ranked-choice results due no earlier than 15 days after the election.
In short
- Two Senate races are still undecided.
- Colom led Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes in Mississippi.
- Peltola led Sullivan by 637 votes in Alaska.
Explained simply
Each US state elects two senators to represent it in the federal legislature, the Senate. The balance of seats matters because senators vote on legislation and appointments, and many bills can be blocked unless 60 of the 100 senators agree to end debate under a procedure known as the filibuster.
Mississippi and Alaska use different ways to count and finalise ballots. In Mississippi, mail-in and provisional ballots still need to be included, and a recount would require a court order; in Alaska, large distances affect how quickly ballots arrive, and voters rank candidates in order of preference, with later counting rounds used if no candidate wins outright.
The candidates are Scott Colom and incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, and Mary Peltola and incumbent Dan Sullivan in Alaska. The final results could affect how many Republican votes Democrats need to reach 60 in the Senate.
Americas Elections Government Politics World