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u.s. news Diasabra 7 November 2020

Protesters crying foul over vote counts stir safety concerns

(AP) - Protesters crying foul over closely and “We Love Trump.” Police cordoned off streets threats. In a statement, Sabree said the decision was
watched vote counts rallied outside tabula- leading to the tabulation center and maintained made “in the interest of the safety of taxpayers and
tion centers in Phoenix and Detroit Friday, a close watch on the protest. Election officials in our staff” and because of “credible information”
responding to President Donald Trump's several closely contested states expressed concern received from the Wayne County Sheriff’s office.
baseless claims of widespread fraud in the about threats and rhetoric directed at workers
race for the White House. counting votes. Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, speaking
on CNN, said her main concern was staff safety
The protests came as elections officials in several “I can tell you that my wife and my mother are but that sheriff’s deputies were providing protec-
states where counts show Democrat Joe Biden very concerned for me,” Joe Gloria, the registrar tion. She said the protesters were “causing delay
ahead said the anger vented outside their doors had in Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Ve- and disruption and preventing those employees
left them worried about the safety of their workers. gas, said Thursday. He said his staff was bolstering from doing their job.”
security and tracking vehicles coming and going During a Thursday rally in Phoenix, protesters
Roughly 200 Trump supporters gathered for a third from the election offices. paused to listen as Trump spoke from the White
straight day Friday in front of the elections center He said he and others would not be stopped from House, where he repeated many of his groundless
in downtown Phoenix, where hundreds of work- “doing what our duty is and counting ballots.” assertions of a rigged vote.
ers are still processing and counting ballots. While the protests have not been violent or partic- They whooped and clapped when the president
ularly large, local officials said they were concerned said, “We’re on track to win Arizona.” The Associ-
“Arrest the poll workers,” the crowd chanted, de- about the relentless accusations. ated Press has called Arizona for Biden.
manding that Trump's presidency be renewed for
“four more years.” Sheriffs’ deputies kept protest- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel tweeted a In Atlanta, roughly 100 chanting Trump support-
ers in a “free speech” zone away from the entrance plea Thursday to “stop making harassing & threat- ers gathered outside State Farm Arena Thursday
to the building. “When we start auditing some of ening calls” to her staff. “Asking them to shove as votes were being counted. Several Atlanta police
these voter rolls, their fraud may actually be ex- sharpies in uncomfortable places is never appro- officers monitored the scene.
posed,” conservative activist Charlie Kirk told the priate & is a sad commentary on the state of our Tom Haas, 50, who said he was visiting Atlanta
crowd, eliciting cheers. nation,” wrote Nessel, a Democrat, referring to from Chicago on business, said he was convinced
In Detroit, dozens of Trump supporters returned a false conspiracy theory that Trump supporters Trump had won the election. “There’s obvious
Friday to the streets outside Detroit’s convention were told to fill out ballots with Sharpie markers voter fraud, and it’s coming out of the larger Dem-
center, where election workers have counted bal- instead of regular pens so that their votes wouldn’t ocratic-run cities,” he said. “Atlanta is one of them.”
lots. be counted by the machines.
“Our democracy is under attack,” he said, echoing
“Stop the steal,” the protesters chanted. Some car- The county treasurer in Detroit, Eric Sabree, Trump’s language. “We’re losing America because
ried signs that read, “Make Elections Fair Again,” said Friday he had closed his office Friday due to we’re losing a fair election for the nation.”

Bourdeaux flips suburban Atlanta district for Democrats

(AP) — Democrat Caro- the Republican’s lackadaisi- fied by declining coronavirus tion. Handel, a former Geor-
lyn Bourdeaux has flipped Bourdeaux, befitting her cal approach to pandemic cases. gia secretary of state, was the
a suburban Atlanta con- background as a public policy precautions, while McCor- incumbent in district, which
gressional district, defeat- professor and former budget mick bristled at having his Democrat Lucy McBath covers parts of Cobb, Fulton
ing Republican Rich Mc- director for the Georgia state physician’s expertise called was reelected Tuesday in the and DeKalb counties when
Cormick. Senate, took a plan-heavy ap- into question and said an ap- neighboring 6th District, she lost to McBath.
proach to her race. She barely proach that emphasized eco- defeating Karen Handel in
Counting of absentee ballots paused after her 2018 loss to nomic reopening was justi- a rematch of the 2018 elec-
and in-person votes cast early Woodall, winning a major-
continued long past Elec- ity against a crowded Demo-
tion Night, forcing a tense cratic field that smelled op-
wait before the race could be portunity in the northeastern
called. Bourdeaux had come suburbs.
close to winning in 2018,
falling fewer than 500 votes McCormick, backed heavily
short of defeating Republican by the free-trade, anti-regu-
incumbent Rob Woodall in lation Club for Growth, also
that race. posted an outright victory
against heavy primary oppo-
Woodall didn’t seek another sition. McCormick sought
term in the district northeast to appeal to immigrants and
of Atlanta. native-born Americans on
Bourdeaux is a college profes- a platform that emphasized
sor who previously worked growth and economic op-
in government. She empha- portunity, dismissing govern-
sized expanded health care ment as a “necessary evil” in
in her campaign and used one debate.
the momentum she built
two years ago to push past Bourdeaux and McCormick
McCormick, an emergency clashed most on health care
room physician and Marine and the COVID-19 pandem-
veteran making his first-ever ic. The Democrat pushed for
bid for office. more expansive government
support for health care, while
It’s the first time a Democrat McCormick called for dereg-
has won the seat since Buddy ulation and further loosening
Darden lost to Republican of the rules under President
Bob Barr in the 1994 GOP Barack Obama’s health care
takeover of the U.S. House, overhaul.
and reflects the rapidly di-
versifying population of the Bourdeaux lambasted Mc-
district. Cormick for what she called