Colom campaign says GOP seeks to ‘violate Mississippi voters’ rights’ as legal battle ignites

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November 5, 2026

Jacob Knutson, Democracy Docket

Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Scott Colom, of Columbus, speaks Wednesday during a press conference outside his campaign headquarters in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo Credit: Zach Plair/Dispatch Staff)

JACKSON, MISS. — Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom’s campaign is pushing back against Republicans who demanded Mississippi election officials “separate and preserve” provisional ballots cast in the race — the first step in a likely bid to contest some of those votes.

In a letter published Thursday evening, Colom’s counsel* said those demands “have no basis in Mississippi law” and would require officials to “violate Mississippi voters’ rights.”

Colom, a district attorney, appears poised to achieve a remarkable upset against incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R). But the race has all the ingredients of a legal powder keg: unclear election laws, extremely tight margins, thousands of uncounted ballots, and an army of lawyers lying in wait.

At the center of the brewing legal battle are approximately 17,000 affidavit — or provisional — ballots and another 3,000 mail-in ballots that remain uncounted. Most of them are concentrated in Hinds County, home to the state capital, Jackson.

Republicans appear to have lit the fuse Thursday.

Click here to learn more about this brewing legal battle.

Mississippi has a long history of advocating for voter’s rights. Consider exploring more about that history and the significance of Reconstruction in the South.

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