Mississippi Senate race and Experian-linked inactive voters (update, Nov. 10, 2026): 15,547 affidavit ballots processed, 76% accepted, Colom ahead by about 2,500

Case

As of Nov. 10, 2026, Mississippi had processed 15,547 affidavit ballots, about 76% accepted, with Democrat Scott Colom ahead of Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) by about 2,500 votes and the AP not having called the race. Counties must certify by Nov. 13. No lawsuit over the affidavit ballots or the inactivations was reported in the sources reviewed, and no racial or income analysis of the voters inactivated through the Experian address data has been published.

Where the count stood on Nov. 10, 2026
WLOX reported on Nov. 10 that Democrat Scott Colom led Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) by 2,536 votes, 467,961 to 465,425; Newsweek put the lead at about 2,500. Neither source reported an AP call.
By Monday, Nov. 9, Mississippi had processed 15,547 affidavit ballots, and about 76% had been accepted.
Secretary of State Michael Watson said about 2,500 absentee ballots were still outstanding as of Monday (WLOX gave 2,578). Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day were due Tuesday, Nov. 10, which was also the deadline for voters to cure affidavit ballots. Circuit clerks and election commissioners have until Nov. 13 to certify.
Newsweek reported that 75 of the state's 82 counties had uploaded unofficial results and one had submitted official results.

Inactive voters and the Experian data
Newsweek, citing Mississippi Today, reported more than 230,000 registrations were inactive statewide before Election Day. Inactive voters could still cast affidavit ballots while their eligibility was checked. How many were affected by inaccurate data is unclear.
TheGrio reported that Experian's Scott Anderson said the service "was not designed or intended to validate voter records," and that Watson wrote on X on Nov. 6 that "The affidavit ballot process is a safety net for errors election commissioners may make."
TheGrio, citing The Atlantic, reported that Watson was warned about the unverified data before Election Day.

Legal and oversight status (as of Nov. 10, 2026)
Lawyers for Hyde-Smith asked all 82 counties to keep affidavit ballots separate. Newsweek described this as a letter, not a lawsuit. Colom's campaign argued no law requires separating every accepted affidavit ballot and said doing so could threaten voter secrecy.
Mississippi has no automatic statewide recount, so any challenge may need to target individual counties, according to Newsweek.
None of the three sources reviewed (WLOX, Newsweek, TheGrio) reported a lawsuit over the affidavit ballots or the inactivations, a formal investigation, or a racial or income analysis of the inactivated voters.

Perspectives

Official position — Secretary of State Michael Watson (R)
Watson defends the address checks as part of keeping voter rolls accurate, previously calling the rollout \"wildly successful.\" He wrote on Nov. 6 that the affidavit ballot process is a safety net and that \"accuracy and integrity will be maintained.\"

Defender — Hyde-Smith's lawyers and the Mississippi Republican Party
Hyde-Smith's lawyers asked counties to keep affidavit ballots separate so they can be reviewed, saying they want only legally cast votes counted. No court has ruled on the request, and Colom's campaign disputes it.

Critic — Colom campaign and voting-rights advocates
The Colom campaign argues the separation request has no basis in Mississippi law and could threaten voter secrecy. Voting-rights advocates and election experts question whether unverified Experian data led to incorrect inactivations. These are stated positions; no court or investigator has made a finding.

Note
Whether the Experian-based inactivations violated state or federal law, who was disproportionately affected, and any intent are unestablished; no court has ruled.

Sources
[1] WLOX — Colom leads Hyde-Smith as ballot deadline arrives (https://www.wlox.com/2026/11/10/colom-leads-hyde-smith-ballot-deadline-arrives/) · 2026-11-10
[2] Newsweek — Mississippi Race Could Hinge on Affidavit Ballots: What To Know (https://www.newsweek.com/mississippi-senate-race-affidavit-ballots-12692146) · 2026-11-10
[3] TheGrio (via Yahoo News) — How reliance on a credit reporting agency led to Mississippi's voting mess (https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/reliance-credit-reporting-agency-led-011115052.html) · 2026-11-10

Connections

Related — Mississippi inactivates at least 50,000 voters using unverified Experian address data; thousands vote by affidavit in a close Senate race (2025-Nov. 2026)
Update to the published topic with Nov. 10 ballot counts and legal status.