All eyes on elections officials in battleground states

Voting tabulation sites in closely contested states are being carefully watched.

Protesters backing President Trump gathered at vote tabulation sites in Phoenix, Detroit and Philadelphia, decrying counts that showed Democrat Joe Biden leading or gaining ground.

In Nevada, where a final tally may not be announced until the weekend, elections officials are wary.

“I can tell you that my wife and my mother are very concerned for me,” said Joe Gloria, the registrar in Clark County, Nev., which includes Las Vegas. He said his staff was bolstering security and tracking vehicles coming and going from the election offices.

In Phoenix, at least two dozen Trump supporters gathered outside city hall Thursday morning, chanting “Protect Our Vote.” The group said they planned to return to the tabulation center, where a Wednesday night rally decried a declaration by Fox News that Biden was the winner in Arizona.

“We’re not going to let this election be stolen. Period,” said Rep. Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican and staunch Trump supporter, told the crowd Wednesday.

Observers from both major political parties were inside the election center as ballots were processed and counted, and the procedure was live-streamed online at all times.

In Detroit, a few dozen Trump supporters gathered outside the city’s convention center Thursday morning, as election workers counted absentee ballots inside. They held signs that said “stop the steal” and “stop the cheat.”

A small group of counter-protesters gathered on the other side of the street, and the two sides shouted at each other. Trump’s supporters occasionally mocked those on the other side over a loudspeaker.

While the protests have not been violent or very large, local officials were distressed and concerned by the relentless accusations.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel tweeted a plea to “stop making harassing & threatening calls” to her staff.

In Atlanta, roughly 100 chanting Trump supporters gathered outside State Farm Arena as votes were being counted. Several Atlanta Police officers monitored the scene.

The Trump campaign has sought to halt the counting of mail ballots in the county. They are asking that their poll watchers be granted more access to oversee operations at the county elections office, saying they are kept too far away to be able to see if signatures match voter registration records.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/356Ammd