US Election 2020: Trump supporters stage protests against mail-in ballot tallies in battleground states
Hundreds of pro-Trump demonstrators gathered outside election centres in Detroit, Michigan and Phoenix, Arizona just as the Trump campaign announced that it was launching a flurry of lawsuits to halt counting in several key battleground states.
Dozens of angry supporters of US President Donald Trump are staging protests in the key battleground states of Michigan and Arizona, demanding a halt to ballot counting after Trump alleged without evidence that postal ballots were leading to voter fraud.
A large group of Trump supporters on Wednesday attempted to storm their way into a convention centre in Detroit, Michigan where poll workers were counting over 170,000 absentee ballots. Standing outside the convention centre, the demonstrators were heard chanting “stop the count”, the New York Times reported.
Here we have Trump supporters chanting “count the votes!” outside an election center in Arizona’s Maricopa County. A few hours ago, at a center in Detroit, they were chanting “stop the count!” https://t.co/5fJfq1Og9N
— Dan Zak (@MrDanZak) November 5, 2020
Several of the protestors bypassed the police officials standing at the entrance of the building and entered through the unguarded rear door. According to Bloomberg, the demonstrators said that they wanted to be poll monitors and oversee the counting process. Once they entered the building they continued chanting but did not interfere while the poll workers continued to count the ballots.
A tense scene unfolded as supporters of President Trump and Democratic observers converged on the TCF Center in Detroit as poll workers there tried to finish counting more than 170,000 absentee ballots. https://t.co/LPW55UDXKk pic.twitter.com/nzA8gSSbgX
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 5, 2020
WATCH: Trump supporters chant “stop the count” outside Detroit’s TCF Center, where ballots are being counted #Election2020 https://t.co/pmxg7EKqIt pic.twitter.com/OVday0x7m0
— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) November 4, 2020
A similar demonstration broke out outside an election centre in Phoenix, Arizona, where hundreds of Trump supporters chanted “count that vote” and “Fox News sucks” to protest against the news network’s decision to call the battle ground state for Joe Biden.
Trump supporters are literally outside a government building in Arizona protesting the fact that votes are being counted. pic.twitter.com/hxi6VU9ZTS
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 5, 2020
— Kim Powell (@KimPowellTV) November 5, 2020
As the crowd of protestors continued to swell in size, law enforcement authorities dressed in tactical gear were deployed to quell the demonstrations. Observers from the Republican and Democratic Party remained inside the election centre as ballots were counted, the Associated Press reported. The entire process was also live-streamed online.
Tense scenes playing out in Arizona tonight. Trump supporters are demanding access to watch a ballot count in Maricopa County. They’re furious Fox News has called a victory there for Biden and believe the state is still in play.
pic.twitter.com/xMAUBWrV6K— Ashlee Mullany (@AshleeMullany) November 5, 2020
This comes after Trump’s address at the White House on Wednesday, where he announced that he was poised to ask the Supreme Court to halt remaining vote counting across the country. “Millions of people voted for us tonight. A very sad group of people is trying to disenfranchise that group of people,” President Trump said from the White House’s East Room. “And we won’t stand for it,” he said.
President @realDonaldTrump:
“So we’ll be going to the U.S. Supreme Court…We will win this. As far as I’m concerned, we already have won it.” pic.twitter.com/9RUw8RSYz4
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 4, 2020
The Trump campaign has announced that it will immediately demand a recount in the state of Wisconsin, where Biden was declared the winner earlier today. The re-election campaign has also said that it will launch a flurry of lawsuits to halt counting in Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Meanwhile, thousands of Democrat Joe Biden’s supporters marched in cities across the United States to demand every vote to be counted in the agonisingly close presidential election. While most of the protests were peaceful, a few incidents of violence were reported in New York City and Portland, Oregon.
Philadelphia. New York. Chicago. Houston. Thousands joining protests across America tonight with a simple demand: every vote must be counted. pic.twitter.com/BlNyMMj7OQ
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) November 5, 2020
From Washington, D.C., to Portland, Oregon, anti-Trump protests erupted across the U.S. on election night pic.twitter.com/0w7J3bFwwm
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) November 4, 2020
At least 20 people were arrested in New York City on Wednesday after police said that piles of trash were set ablaze and bottles were hurled at officers, AP reported.
In Washington, three people were arrested in two separate incidents after hundreds of demonstrators flooded the streets near the Black Lives Matter Plaza to raise their voice against Trump’s possible re-election.
Violinspiration at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC
@MourningInAmer1
Mourning into Unity 2020
💕📚🎻☀️💐✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/fD1vUPgKZw— Dr. Melanie R. Hill (@DrMRHill1) October 26, 2020
Fights breaking out at Black Lives Matter Plaza in DC #Washington #DC pic.twitter.com/m5NSEWl3h8
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) November 4, 2020
So far, Biden appears to be leading with around 253 electoral votes as compared to Trump’s 213, according to CNN. The results in six states still remain too close to call. Officials in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania has said that it may take another few days before they have their final tally.
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