Democrat Scott Colom widened his advantage over Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith as Mississippi election officials continued counting ballots in an extraordinarily close Senate contest. As of early Saturday afternoon, Colom led by 2,574 votes, according to The Associated Press.

An estimated 97% of expected votes had been counted, but outstanding absentee and provisional ballots kept the outcome unsettled. The counting continued four days after the final votes were cast, while lawyers for both parties prepared for a potential legal battle.

Mississippi has no recount law on its books, making each remaining ballot especially important with the margin so narrow. A court can still order a recount, which is why both campaigns sent lawyers to the state as the tally moved toward a critical Tuesday deadline.

The unexpectedly tight contest in a deeply Republican Southern state has stunned both national political parties. The race has also highlighted dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s policies and actions, as well as with the Republicans who have supported him in lockstep.

Mississippi is positioned to elect its first Black senator since Reconstruction. Before that question can be settled, officials must finish processing outstanding absentee ballots and provisional ballots, which Mississippi calls affidavit ballots.

Both categories of ballots face a Nov. 10 deadline. Absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day may be counted if officials receive them by Tuesday, while provisional ballots must also be verified by Tuesday.

The number of provisional ballots has become a major focus because those ballots are used by voters whose eligibility is in question. Republican Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson has said his office does not know how many provisional ballots remain.

Watson said Friday afternoon that officials had processed 11,202 provisional ballots, with 78% accepted. Colom’s campaign estimated that this year’s total could reach 15,000 provisional ballots, leaving a potentially significant pool still affecting the final margin.

Voting rights advocates have pointed to Mississippi Republicans’ efforts to purge voter rolls as a reason for the elevated number of provisional ballots. Residents whose names do not appear on precinct lists when they arrive to vote receive provisional ballots that are later checked against official voter rolls.

Earlier this year, Watson’s office authorized the use of unverified credit data to purge those rolls. That move led to a surge of voters being mistakenly placed on inactive status, according to Mississippi Today.

Rachel Madden, a voter from DeSoto County, told MS NOW that an election worker said she was not in the system when she tried to vote. Madden described herself as a frequent voter and said she received no explanation for the change in her status, so she cast a provisional ballot.

“I’ve never had an issue. It’s always been very easy. I’ve always been very excited to do it, and this just threw a wrench in all of it,” Madden said. “It’s very suspicious to me.”

Madden later visited the courthouse to verify her ballot and was told she would learn within five business days whether it had been accepted. In the meantime, she remained uncertain about the status of her vote.

Colom told MS NOW that he partly blamed Watson for the obstacles Mississippi voters encountered. Colom said he had pushed for early voting in Mississippi and for Election Day to become a federal holiday.

“I’ve been complaining about it for months,” Colom said. He added, “We got to make voting accessible in this country.”

Watson has argued that the state’s measures are intended to protect election systems from voting by noncitizens, which the article described as rare and illegal. Republicans have repeatedly emphasized that issue while defending restrictions and verification measures.

“We have implemented every available resource to ensure our elections are secure, and to ensure we do not have dead people, illegal aliens with fake addresses, or nonresidents voting in our elections,” Watson said Friday. He also urged patience while officials verified and counted ballots.

Both campaigns expressed confidence despite the unresolved count. Hyde-Smith’s campaign said thousands of votes remained in dozens of Republican counties and predicted those ballots would strengthen her path to victory.

Colom, however, said he expected his advantage to keep expanding, as it had each day since Election Day. “I know that absentee and affidavits trend Democratic,” he said. “We’re going to win.”