Colom's lawyers tell counties Hyde-Smith's ballot demand has no basis in Mississippi law
Scott ColomDemocratic U.S. Senate candidate in Mississippi, through his campaign counsel Jacquelyn Lopez in a letter to county election officials
In a letter to all 82 counties, lawyers for Colom's campaign say Hyde-Smith's demand to keep accepted affidavit ballots separate has no basis in Mississippi law, would threaten ballot secrecy and would treat voters unequally, and they tell counties to keep counting under ordinary procedures.
Responding to
Mississippi and federal law require counties to keep affidavit ballots from the November 3, 2026, election separate from other ballots, and Cindy Hyde-Smith is entitled to their preservation in an unaltered and identifiable state.
“Those demands have no basis in Mississippi law, and if you depart from ordinary election procedures as you have been asked to do, you will violate Mississippi voters' rights and Mississippi election law.”
Original text
Other statements by Scott Colom in this case
Every statement by Scott Colom
Where this statement fits
Hyde-Smith's lawyers demand that Mississippi counties separate and preserve affidavit ballots in her Senate race; Colom's lawyers call the demand unlawful
On November 5, 2026, two days after the U.S. Senate election in Mississippi, lawyers for Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith's campaign sent all 82 counties a letter demanding that they keep every affidavit ballot, the state's term for a provisional ballot, separate from other ballots and preserve them and their records for any ballot box examination, election contest or Senate proceeding. Democrat Scott Colom led the uncalled race by fewer than 2,000 votes at the time. Lawyers for Colom's campaign wrote to the counties the same day that the demand has no basis in Mississippi law and that separating accepted affidavit ballots would threaten ballot secrecy. Mississippi Republican Party chairman Mike Hurst called the letter standard procedure for a close election.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Colom's campaign counsel tells county officials that Hyde-Smith's demand has no basis in Mississippi law, that keeping accepted affidavit ballots apart would threaten ballot secrecy and treat voters unequally, and that state law provides no election contest for a U.S. Senate race. It tells counties not to separate accepted affidavit ballots from other paper ballots.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The letter opens by noting that the counties received a letter from Hyde-Smith's campaign counsel earlier that afternoon demanding what it calls unlawful and extraordinary measures in handling affidavit ballots.
After the quotation
The letter says Hyde-Smith cites no legal authority for keeping accepted affidavit ballots apart from regular and absentee ballots, and later tells counties not to separate accepted affidavit ballots from other paper ballots.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the Hyde-Smith campaign's demand that Mississippi counties separate and preserve affidavit ballots, and the Republican scrutiny of those ballots that the demand supports. Colom's campaign calls the demand unlawful and extraordinary and warns counties that following it would violate voters' rights and state election law.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Cindy Hyde-Smith
More from this case
Read the full caseMississippi GOP chairman says the party will "fight like hell" over how outstanding ballots are reviewed
“We at the Mississippi Republican Party are going to fight like hell to make sure that every legal vote that was cast is counted. And that the process to review and the process to count these ballots is legal”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Colom's lawyers tell counties Hyde-Smith's ballot demand has no basis in Mississippi law
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/8499-in-a-letter-to-all-82-counties-lawyers
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Colom's lawyers tell counties Hyde-Smith's ballot demand has no basis in Mississippi law". First published: 2026-11-10. Last updated: 2026-11-10. https://disputeindex.com/events/8499-in-a-letter-to-all-82-counties-lawyers