A Detroit absentee ballot counting center boarded up its windows Wednesday afternoon as ‘Count every vote’ protesters descended on the building as Joe Biden is projected to win the crucial swing state.
Angry Trump supporters were being held outside the TCF Center in downtown Detroit by anxious security guards as they responded to the president’s claims that the GOP should have ‘access’ to counting locations.
Hundreds of challengers had shown up at the center from both sides of the political line as the White House race could soon be won or lost on the result in Michigan.
The scene grew increasingly heated and authorities halted any more poll watchers entering the counting center as Joe Biden inched ahead with a 0.7 percent lead in the state with 99 percent of votes tallied.
Donald Trump’s campaign filed a lawsuit to halt counting of ballots until they receive ‘meaningful access’ to counting locations.
Soon after, the state was called in favor of Biden, marking a key win for the Democrat.
GOP poll challengers react after being asked to leave due to room capacity at the TCF Center in Detroit
Election challengers, left, wait outside after an election official, right, closed the door to the central counting board
Election challengers peer over the shoulders of volunteers as they observe absentee ballots being processed
Protestors who want every vote counted from the 2020 presidential election march down Woodward Avenue on November 4
Representative Rashida Talib (right) joins protesters who want every vote counted from the 2020 presidential election
Election officials shuttered the doors Wednesday afternoon to anyone else seeking to monitor the ballot counting process.
More than 100 demonstrators flocked to the center as Biden took the lead Wednesday afternoon.
‘We have exceeded the amount of challengers,’ an election worker told more than two dozen people who showed up at 1 p.m. to monitor the process, reported Detroit Free Press.
‘We are not allowing any more challengers in at this time.’
Both Republicans and Democrats are allowed 134 challenges each to monitor the ballot counting process.
It is not clear how many challengers are currently present on each side.
Republican challenger Timothy Griffin, an attorney from Virginia, told the Free Press he had been at the TCF since Tuesday night because the voting system is ‘not fair’.
‘This whole thing is under suspicion,’ he said. ‘It’s not equal. It’s just not fair.’
On the other side, Democratic challenger Liz Linkewitz from Harrison Township said she was there to help ensure the rights of the American people to vote was upheld.
‘I just want to make sure that all Michigan votes are counted,’ she said.
‘This election is, as Joe Biden says, for the soul of our country.’
A protestor who wants every vote counted from the 2020 presidential election, carries a sign as they march down Woodward Avenue on Novembe
Election challengers observe as ballots are counted at the central counting board in Detroit where tensions mounted
Challengers gathered inside the center Wednesday afternoon as the state counted the final votes
Challengers check in to observe absentee ballots as they are processed at the central counting board
The Trump campaign said it was filing the lawsuit because they had been denied access to the count.
Bill Stepien, Trump’s campaign manager, said in a statement: ‘As votes in Michigan continue to be counted, the presidential race in the state remains extremely tight as we always knew it would be.
‘President Trump’s campaign has not been provided with meaningful access to numerous counting locations to observe the opening of ballots and the counting process, as guaranteed by Michigan law.
‘We have filed suit today in the Michigan Court of Claims to halt counting until meaningful access has been granted. We also demand to review those ballots which were opened and counted while we did not have meaningful access. President Trump is committed to ensuring that all legal votes are counted in Michigan and everywhere else.’
Trump claimed overnight that he had won the entire election, labeling it a ‘fraud’ that he didn’t yet have enough electoral college votes and vowing to go to the Supreme Court to challenge it.
At midday on Wednesday he tweeted: ‘They are finding Biden votes all over the place — in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. So bad for our Country!’
He added: ‘They are working hard to make up 500,000 vote advantage in Pennsylvania disappear — ASAP. Likewise, Michigan and others!’
