By Simon Albaugh – Yemeni American News
Detroit, Mich. – Protesters stood under the shadow of Skyscrapers in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood, calling for a complete count of votes in the state’s largest majority African American City. They wanted a clear voting process that made sure every vote in the Southeast Michigan region counted to the popular vote. Across the city, outside the TCF Center where votes are being counted, Conservative activists were calling for the whole process to shut down.
In New Center, speakers like Abraham Aiyash and Rashida Tlaib spoke on the struggle of the pandemic, the voices that cannot be lost in this election, and the need to maintain the democratic rights of Detroit’s largely minority population.
“We had hundreds of folks, mostly old black women in Detroit busting their a** to make sure those votes were counted,” Aiyash said. “As flawed as American might be, we have to make sure democracy stays intact one way or another. Because they voted for the 260,000 people who lost their lives and could not vote. They voted for the women who were forced to get hysterectomies in immigrant detention centers…”
Demonstrations like these are happening from New York City to Portland, Oregon. On one side, people are calling for people for a complete count of votes. Largely democratic leaning, these activists are fighting for a full count before Trump or Biden can falsely claim a victory in this hotly contested election.
Conservative demonstrators, like the ones outside the TCF Center in Detroit, and those who are reported to be heavily armed in swing states like Arizona, are alleging that the count in largely democratic areas is filled with voter fraud.
The protesters at the TCF Center say that the election challenge system was unfairly in favor of challengers from the democratic party. Poll Challenging is a process by which everyday people can observe the election process and challenge a count if they see a discrepancy in the law. Anyone can become a poll challenger regardless of their affiliation with a group or political party.
Conservative Protesters Stand Outside the TCF Center, where Ballots for Detroit were counted (Photo by Simon Albaugh)
“They would only let union members in,” said Carolyn, a conservative protester who declined to give her last name. “They let a handful of Republicans in, and the ones that were there said they really needed help because there were so many ballots.”
The Detroit Free Press reported that registered poll workers from each party were roughly even, with 134 Republican Challengers, 134 Democratic Challengers, and 134 Nonpartisan Challengers.
Democratic Poll Challengers, like Sam Brown, offer a conflicting point of view to what Carolyn and other Conservative Activists are saying. Yesterday, Brown made a statement about his experience as a poll worker. that many Republican Poll Challengers were more interested in disrupting the process than actually challenging ballots.
“At around 7AM, the team leaders and supervisors were called to a quick meeting to discuss the efficiency of the count…” reads Brown’s statement. “As soon as the leadership was gone from each district, the GOP challengers swept in and broke every protocol they agreed to and challenged every vote they could.
“They started talking to workers directly, normally with 2 or 3 challengers at the table at once, and made these workers who are just trying to figure out their jobs very uncomfortable and treated them with no respect at all.”
The count was completed, with Biden being declared the winner of Michigan by the Associated Press. Still, President Trump is challenging the vote with lawsuits alleging that the ballot process had unfairly excluded Republican Poll Challengers.
A Michigan Judge struck down the lawsuit, saying that the Trump campaign had no legal basis for their claims of exclusion.
In a Press Conference yesterday, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson stated that the process needed to be slow in order to ensure that the count could be held to the highest scrutiny. “We want to make sure that our count is able to withstand any challenges that might come from the courts,” Benson said.
