More than a week after voters in the United States cast ballots in the midterm elections, the size of the Democrats’ majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate remains undetermined, with more than a dozen congressional races still uncalled. Democrats have reportedly secured 54 Senate seats for the incoming Congress in January and could add one or two more as counting continues in Alaska and Mississippi. In the House, they have reached 255 seats in the 435-member chamber, their largest elected majority since 2008, but several contests could still expand that lead.
Key Takeaways: Democrats hold at least 54 Senate seats and 255 House seats, but final margins depend on uncalled races. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom was about 2,600 votes ahead of Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith late Tuesday. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Senator Dan Sullivan by about 2,500 votes with an estimated 76 percent counted.
The delays reflect the fragmented and often opaque nature of the US election system, not a single national count. Mississippi has no central vote-reporting system, and few of its 82 counties publish results online; journalists and analysts must contact counties directly. The state’s certification date is December 3, after mail-in absentee ballots are due Tuesday and counties submit certified results, including provisional ballot tallies, by Friday.
On Monday, Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson claimed that about 14,200 provisional ballots had been processed, with about 80 percent accepted, and that about 2,700 mail-in absentee ballots had not yet been returned. It is unclear how many ballots remain uncounted. Mississippi does not have automatic recounts and does not permit candidates to request one; recounts occur only by court order, adding further uncertainty to any close result.
Alaska’s timeline is also unsettled. Absentee ballots mailed from outside the US are accepted as late as November 18, and ranked-choice tabulation could begin that day if no candidate wins a majority. Peltola is just over one percentage point short of an outright win. The state’s target certification date is November 25, with recounts automatic only in a tie and candidate-requested recounts allowed within five days of certification.
Most uncalled House races have margins below one percentage point among counted votes. North Carolina has four undecided races, the most of any state, with Republican incumbents facing challenges; recount requests are allowed if the margin is one percent or less and must arrive by noon Eastern Time on November 17, ahead of certification on November 24. In California, only the 23rd District race will affect the chamber’s balance of power; the other uncalled race is between two Democrats. The drawn-out count is likely to prolong disputes over legitimacy and control.
Source: www.aljazeera.com