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Mississippi clerk explains ballot checks as Senate deadlines arrive

CNN's interview with George County's Chad Welford adds a local election official's account of verification and ballot security to the unresolved Colom-Hyde-Smith contest.

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Why this story? One of CNN's most watched videos since yesterday, with 1,104,547 views.

MS court clerk updates tight Senate vote as critical deadlines approach

Things we can learn from the video

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0:00CNN shows Colom narrowly ahead and explains the deadlines for mailed ballots and resolving identification issues.
1:00Grayer reports from Hinds County, where voters can address problems affecting their affidavit ballots.
6:43Welford explains that election commissioners check affidavit ballots against registration records and state eligibility rules.
11:10Asked about Trump's doubts over election honesty, Welford defends poll workers and secure ballot custody.
12:56Pittman discusses outstanding Hinds County ballots and says neither campaign has definitively announced a challenge.

Every remaining affidavit ballot has to be checked against voter registration and eligibility rules, George County circuit clerk Chad Welford tells CNN, as Mississippi reaches key deadlines in its undecided Senate election.

Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by roughly 2,500 votes in the tally shown by CNN. The contest remains uncalled. Tuesday is the deadline both for voters to resolve identification issues on affidavit ballots and for counties to receive mailed absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day, according to the report.

Welford's interview puts the mechanics of the remaining count at the center of the story. He says his Republican-leaning county has uploaded its results apart from outstanding mail ballots and those awaiting identification checks. Election commissioners examine affidavit ballots individually, including whether the voter is registered in the appropriate jurisdiction.

"Because we want every vote to count that is, under Mississippi law, eligible," he explains.

When host Kate Bolduan reads Donald Trump's post questioning the election's honesty, Welford defends the poll workers and the custody of ballots. He says he believes ballots are cast legally and the work is done professionally.

Elsewhere in the broadcast, Annie Grayer reports from outside the Hinds County courthouse, where voters are arriving to resolve ballot issues. Mississippi Free Press news editor Ashton Pittman discusses the remaining count in that Democratic stronghold and says neither campaign has made a definitive statement that it will challenge the result.

CNN reports that both sides have assembled legal teams to observe and potentially contest counting procedures. Counties must submit certified results by November 13, ahead of the state's December 3 certification deadline.

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