Vote counts continued in the Alaska and Mississippi Senate races one week after Election Day. Democrats were on track to hold 54 Senate seats in January and could pick up one or two more from Republicans as those states counted ballots, while more than a dozen House races and two governor races remained uncalled. With 255 seats in the House, Democrats already had their largest majority elected to the chamber since 2008, with the potential to pick up several more seats as the remaining races were called.
Alaska’s Senate contest was among the unresolved races. Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by about 2,500 votes Tuesday afternoon, with an estimated 76% of the vote counted. Results from some absentee ballots were expected late Tuesday, while final absentee ballots mailed back from outside the U.S. could be accepted as late as Nov. 18, 15 days after Election Day.
Ranked-choice voting could also affect the timeline. Peltola was just over 1 percentage point short of the majority needed to win outright. If neither candidate won a majority, the race would proceed to ranked-choice tabulation on Nov. 18. Alaska’s target date for certifying the election results was Nov. 25. Recounts were automatic only in the event of a tie, and candidates could request one within five days of state certification.
Mississippi’s Senate seat also remained too early to call. Late Tuesday afternoon, Democrat Scott Colom was about 2,600 votes ahead of Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Mail-in absentee ballots had to be received by Tuesday, and counties were required to submit certified election results, including tallies of provisional ballots, to the state by Friday.
It was unclear exactly how many ballots remained to be counted. Unlike in some other states, Mississippi had no central vote-reporting system, and few counties released election results online, so Associated Press journalists and analysts communicated directly with each of the state’s 82 counties for the latest available information. The state was scheduled to certify its results on Dec. 3.
On Monday, Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said about 14,200 provisional ballots had been processed, of which about 80% had been accepted, and about 2,700 mail-in absentee ballots had not yet been returned. Mississippi did not have automatic recounts or permit candidates to request them; recounts were held only under a court order. The Associated Press said it could declare a winner in a race eligible for a recount if it determined the lead was too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
More than a dozen House races also remained unresolved. In most of them, the margin between the leading candidates was less than 1% among votes counted by late Tuesday afternoon. North Carolina had four undecided races, the most of any state, and Republican incumbents were being challenged in all four.
North Carolina did not have automatic recounts. A candidate could request one if the margin between candidates was 1% or less of the total vote, and the request had to reach the state by noon Eastern time on Nov. 17, two business days after the county canvass. The state was scheduled to certify its results on Nov. 24.
California had only one uncalled House race that will affect the chamber’s balance of power, the 23rd District. Its other uncalled races were between two Democrats. Mail ballots had to be received by Tuesday, counties were required to certify their results by Dec. 3, and the state was scheduled to certify on Dec. 11.
Other uncalled House contests had their own narrow margins and recount procedures. In South Carolina’s 2nd District, a recount was ongoing between Republican incumbent Joe Wilson and Democrat Zyon Khalia; Wilson led by about 3,000 votes in the original tally late Tuesday afternoon, when 99% of votes had been counted. In Minnesota’s 1st District, the race was still undecided with about 300 votes separating the top two candidates and an estimated 99% of votes counted. Minnesota did not require an automatic recount, but a candidate could request a publicly funded recount if the margin was less than 0.25% of the vote.
In Tennessee’s 4th District, about 300 votes separated Democrat Victoria Broderick and Republican incumbent Scott DesJarlais as of late Tuesday afternoon. Tennessee had no automatic recounts, losing candidates could not request them, and recounts were held only as part of a legal challenge in the courts.
Kansas’s gubernatorial race remained unresolved. Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher led state Republican Senate President Ty Masterson by less than 1 percentage point late Tuesday afternoon. On Nov. 4, the state announced a close-race audit requiring a hand count of selected ballots in six close Kansas races, including the gubernatorial race. The audit had to be completed before Nov. 16, the day by which counties had to certify their results.
Alaska’s governor contest was also undecided. Only about 76% of votes were estimated to have been counted late Tuesday afternoon. Democratic candidate Jonathan S. Kreiss-Tomkins led Bernadette M. Wilson by about 45,000 votes, 49.6% to 28.9%. The race would advance to ranked-choice tabulation if no candidate received more than 50% of the vote.
The unresolved Senate races could still add one or two seats to Democrats’ projected 54 Senate seats. More than a dozen House contests, including California’s 23rd District, and two governor races remained without final outcomes.