The election is over. The counting isn’t.
Democrats have won both chambers. But a handful of races are still too close to call, and a few are close enough to make anyone rethink whether one vote matters.
The Senate
Mississippi: Scott Colom (D) leads Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) by 1,138 votes out of nearly 950,000, with 96% counted. Earlier Wednesday the gap was just 65. Mississippi has no recount law. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day count if they arrive by Nov. 10.
Alaska: Mary Peltola (D) leads Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) by 637 first-choice votes, with 75% counted. Neither has a majority, so the ranked-choice count comes Nov. 18.
The House
Fifty-four House seats are still uncalled. These are the closest:
North Carolina 5th: Chuck Hubbard (D) leads Rep. Virginia Foxx (R), in Congress since 2005, by 99 votes out of 285,498.
North Carolina 3rd: Rep. Greg Murphy (R) leads Raymond Smith (D) by 233.
Tennessee 4th: Victoria Broderick (D) leads Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R) by 280.
Minnesota 1st: Jake Johnson (D) leads Rep. Brad Finstad (R) by 323.
Florida 27th: Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R) leads Eliott Rodriguez (D) by 1,116. That’s inside Florida’s automatic recount margin of half a point.
In North Carolina, the trailing candidate can ask for a recount when the margin is 1 point or less. In Minnesota, the state pays for a recount on request when a congressional race is within a quarter point.
Closest of all
A Minnesota state Senate seat. Austin Peterson (R) leads Rob Kupec (D) by four votes out of 36,252, in the state’s unofficial count.
So the next time someone tells you one vote doesn’t matter, show them this.
Sources: AP vote counts via ABC News, 8:30 pm ET Nov. 4. North Carolina and Minnesota numbers match those states’ results files. Recount rules: N.C. G.S. 163-182.7; Minn. Stat. 204C.35; Florida’s automatic recount and Mississippi’s lack of a recount law per NBC News and ABC News.