No one knows how many ballots are outstanding in Mississippi's Senate race

The razor-thin margin between GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom is shining a light on an election process in Mississippi that is among the slowest and most decentralized in the U.S.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4981x3321+0+0/resize/4981x3321!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F37%2F99%2F2d61aae94ab9843e5fad2fe5274f%2Fgettyimages-2303247634.jpg' alt='Two Madison County election commissioners inspect an affidavit ballot envelope on Thursday in Canton, Miss. The state's razor-thin U.S. Senate race is shining a spotlight on Mississippi's election processes.'/><p>The razor-thin margin between GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom is shining a light on an election process in Mississippi that is among the slowest and most decentralized in the U.S.</p><p>(Image credit: Rogelio V. Solis)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-6030645' />