Dozens of Races Still Uncalled as States Count Late Mail Ballots and Affidavits

November 5, 2026 · Category: Field & Elections

Democratic majorities in the House and Senate are no longer in doubt. What is still moving is the size of those majorities, and that math now runs through county mail rooms and canvass calendars rather than Election Night maps. NBC News reported Thursday morning that vote counts in Alaska, Mississippi and Kansas were still underway after the Democratic sweep, while CNN's live updates kept close Senate contests on the watch list as Democrats stacked additional House wins.

As of Wednesday morning, El Cronista reported 62 congressional races still uncalled: two Senate contests and 60 House seats tracked by the Associated Press. Democrats already held 54 Senate seats to Republicans' 44 in that tally, so the outstanding races change margins, not chamber control. Mississippi's Senate race between Democrat Scott Colom and Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith was effectively tied near 48.9% each with roughly 96% counted; Independent Ty Pinkins held about 2.1%. Mississippi accepts mail ballots for five business days after Election Day, putting the cutoff at Nov. 10, and thousands of affidavit ballots still need review. State law provides neither an automatic recount nor a candidate-requested recount, so any challenge would have to go through the courts or, ultimately, the Senate itself.

Alaska is on a longer clock. Neither Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan nor Democrat Mary Peltola had cleared 50% of first-choice votes with about 72% counted, Cronista reported, with Sullivan leading 48.5% to 47.7%. Mail ballots from within the United States count if they arrive by Nov. 13; overseas ballots have until Nov. 18. If no candidate tops 50% once every ballot is in, the state runs ranked-choice tabulation that day, with certification targeted for Nov. 25.

California is carrying much of the remaining House backlog. Eleven of the 60 uncalled House seats were there Wednesday, Cronista noted. Nearly every California voter receives a mail ballot, and ballots postmarked by Election Day count if they arrive within seven days — by Nov. 10. Counties must report results for most ballots by Nov. 16 and have until Dec. 3 to finish. Signature checks and Election Day drop-offs create a deliberate lag that is written into statute, not an emergency.

Why it matters

Campaigns, parties and election offices now shift from turnout to curing, canvassing and certification. Late mail and provisional ballots routinely decide close margins days after polls close, and the public calendar — Nov. 10 in Mississippi and California mail cutoffs, Nov. 18 for Alaska's full tabulation — is the reliable guide to when those races become final.

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