United States
United Kingdom
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
IrelandMississippi Senate count turns to affidavit and mail-in ballots
WREG explains why ballots remain under review as Scott Colom holds a narrow lead over Cindy Hyde-Smith.
WREG News Channel 3
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 86,983 views a day, 102 times a normal first day on this channel (855).
Tight Senate race awaits results of pending Mississippi ballots
No winner yet. WREG News Channel 3's Sunday report shows Scott Colom ahead of Cindy Hyde-Smith by roughly 2,500 votes, with Mississippi's Senate contest still awaiting affidavit and mail-in ballots.
Colom, a Democratic district attorney, is challenging Republican incumbent Hyde-Smith. The report has reached about 122,000 views, an unusually large audience for one of the station's short uploads.
Reporter Raven Copeland takes the story to the DeSoto County Election Commission, where commissioner Tim Snyder explains what happens when someone arrives to vote but cannot be found in the poll book. An address change is one reason a voter might need an affidavit ballot.
Before opening those ballot envelopes, election workers review the information written on the outside. That verification step is part of the unfinished count, not a result in itself.
Copeland reports that affidavit counts are expected by Wednesday, while mail-in ballots have until Tuesday, November 10, to arrive. Snyder explains that the post office has a delivery window after Election Day to get those ballots to the county clerk.
The closing graphic rounds both candidates' shares to the same whole percentage, even though the vote totals show Colom ahead. Viewers are asking for more precise percentages and the outstanding vote count.
Snyder's message is about completing the process: "We want to be fair and accurate, so just be patient with that process."
District attorney for Mississippi’s 16th Judicial District since 2016 and the Democratic nominee in the state’s 2026 U.S. Senate election.
More on Wikipedia ›A Republican who has served as a U.S. senator from Mississippi since 2018. She previously served as the state’s agriculture and commerce commissioner.
More on Wikipedia ›A county in northwestern Mississippi that forms part of the Memphis metropolitan area. Its county seat is Hernando.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
Where next?
Is this your channel?For the channel's owners and team: a ready picture and text for your audience
Share the story with your audience. Everything is ready:
For an Instagram story or a WhatsApp status
For a community post or your channel's description
- Channel
- WREG News Channel 3
- Subscribers
- 287,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 371,315
- Channel views, pace per day
- 114,420 (on a normal day: 53,355)
- Video published
- November 8, 2026
- Video views so far
- 121,912 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 120,919
The numbers
The ballot-counting report drew far more views than WREG's usual short upload. Its estimated first-day audience was more than a hundred times the station's usual level.
💡 Test your knowledge
How long is a full term in the U.S. Senate?
U.S. senators are elected to six-year terms.