US Elections 2020: Trump supporters protest outside Arizona election center

New Delhi: A group of supporters of President Donald Trump gathered at the Arizona Capitol and Maricopa County elections centres in Phoenix demanding election workers to keep counting ballots.

The county elections department indicated it would not be intimidated, USA Today reported. With 86 per cent of the state reporting, Trump trailed Biden by just shy of 80,000 votes, according to the New York Times.

As counting of ballots are underway and the result of the US Presidential election is awaited, protestors took to the streets in the cities across America.

"RT @karicartagena_: #EEUU En #MaricopaCounty #Arizona simpatizantes de #DonaldTrump tratan de impedir conteos de votos #EEUUDecide2020 #ElectionResults2020 #CountEveryVote pic.twitter.com/58uqEmRUw2"

— Chaski Digital (@ChaskiDigital) November 5, 2020

Tensions ran high into the night following a mostly peaceful start to the day, with reports of “widespread violence” leading to the National Guard being deployed in Portland, Oregon. Arrests have also been made in Minneapolis and New York City, with the New York Police Department confiscating weapons, USA Today reported.

The Los Angeles Police Department announced for the second day in a row a citywide tactical alert “to ensure sufficient resources to address any incidents that may arise as a result of Election Day activities.” Several demonstrators were detained, police said.

Protests erupted across the US as Americans are waiting anxiously for the results of the US Presidential elections with ballot counting in the final battleground states continue, with some demonstrators asking for every vote to be counted and others demanding a halt on counting.

According to the New York Times, in Portland, a “Count Every Vote” demonstration taking place in the city merged with another one focused on racial justice and police brutality.
Some demonstrators smashed storefront, windows in the downtown areas. The police labelled the incident a riot and swarmed in.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, hundreds of protesters blocked Interstate 94 and the police made arrests, with demonstrators taking to social media to say that the officers had “kettled,” or trapped them there, to prevent them from dispersing.

On Wednesday night, tensions rose at a ballot-counting centre in Michigan’s largest city Detroit, a critical reservoir of votes for Biden after multiple news outlets began declaring Biden Jr winner of Michigan.

President Trump’s supporters and Democratic observers converged on the TCF Center to monitor poll workers as they tried to finish counting more than 170,000 absentee ballots.

Observers from both sides were not allowed to enter the ballot-counting center, because the groups had already reached the maximum number of challengers allowed inside.

The number of people trying to gain entry grew from five to more than 30, and the situation grew heated, with arguments breaking out between the challengers, elections officials and the Detroit police.

Americans cast their votes on November 3 to elect next president of the world oldest democracy.

As part of the New York Times tally, Joe Biden is edging towards a victory over incumbent President Donald Trump in the fierce battle of US Presidential elections with 253 projected Electoral College votes.