DONALD Trump fans have stormed an Arizona voting center, screaming “stop the steal” as the state inches towards voting for Joe Biden.
Pictures and video showed armed MAGA supporters protesting the election results at the Maricopa County Elections Department office in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday night.
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Trump fans gathered outside the building saying ‘stop the steal’[/caption]
Counter protesters also arrived, carrying signs depicting Potus as a pig[/caption]
Trump’s loyal followers carried signs like ‘keep America great’ [/caption]
The office was reportedly forced to close [/caption]
A MAFA-hat wearing demonstrator screams at cops guarding the building[/caption]
A Trump supporter, decked out in his apparel, pauses for prayer[/caption]
Things got so heated, reporters at the Maricopa vote were reportedly evacuated and the facility was forced forced into lockdown.
Despite the protest, Maricopa County Elections Department said the count would continue.
A twitter account for the county election department wrote: “Staff at the @maricopacounty Elections Department will continue our job, which is to administer elections in the second largest voting jurisdiction in the county.
“We will release results again tonight as planned.”
The protest event was organized after yesterday’s vote narrowly turned for the Democrats in the presidential and senate races.
As the demonstration erupted, the races in Georgia, with 16 electoral votes, and Arizona, with 11, are still too close to call as of 12am EST on Thursday.
The violence erupted as:
- Dems plot to oust Pelosi as Speaker as AOC’s squad grows
- US tops 100K new Covid-19 cases in a day in second wave
- Hope for $1,200 checks as McConnell calls for 2020 decision
- Biden’s odds of election soar to 88 percent during count
- Anti-Trump protesters clash with cops after election
If those states’ results are finalized today, Biden could win the election and the race could be over – but Trump fans yesterday evening echoed his vow to go “down fighting.”
They could be seen shouting outside the AZ building, where the votes were being tallied as election tensions reach boiling point in many crucial states.
Trump bagged 13,644 votes in AZ when Maricopa County released additional election results on Wednesday night, while both AP and Fox News has called the state for him.
It’s the largest county in Arizona, including the city of Phoenix, plus 62 percent of the state’s 7.28 million residents – and Biden was leading there by around 85,000 votes when the protests erupted.
Things also came to ahead in North Las Vegas where Trump fans and Biden supporters clashed[/caption]
They protested the Nevada vote in front of the Clark County Election Department, Wednesday, Nov. 4[/caption]
There was also a Dallas City Hall rally to demand all votes be counted as the outcome of the presidential race nears on Wednesday [/caption]
A CBS reporter revealed that Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies decked out in tactical gear were waiting inside the facility as the crowd grew.
Meanwhile, a CNN journalist shared footage on Twitter showing the right-wing activists protesting as the ballots are counted and police looked on.
They can be heard shouting “aren’t you guys supposed to be working right now” at the sheriff’s deputies keeping an eye on the crowd.
“We pay for your work!” one male protester holding a megaphone can be heard shouting as law enforcement protected the voting center.
Nearby, Biden supporters were also on the scene, while Trump fans decked out in thin-blue line flags and bullet proof vests claimed their freedom of speech was being violated.
They reportedly referenced #SharpieGate, a claim which emerged on social media, saying Maricopa County gave voters Sharpie markers to interfere with their ballots.
Some MAGA fans claimed they were targeted because they supported the Republican nominee but election officials pointed out that using a felt tip pen would have no effect on a person’s vote.
The Republican Attorney General’s Office in Arizona said they were investigating complaints from Maricopa County voters over Sharpie Gate
In a letter to the Maricopa County elections director Scott Jarrett, Deputy Solicitor General Michael S. Catlett asked for information on the validity of ballots completed by Sharpies by Thursday.
The Maricopa County Elections Department said they used Sharpies so the ink doesn’t smudge.
“New offset columns on the ballots means bleed through won’t impact your vote!” they tweeted in an informational video.
Joe Biden believes his campaign can reach 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidential election[/caption]
The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits in several states to stop votes from being counted as their lead shrinks[/caption]
Nevada cops also dealt with an onslaught of protesters at an election center last night[/caption]
In another key state Nevada, North Las Vegas police were confronted with 50 Trump protesters and 50 counter-protesters at the Clark County Election Office.
KVVU reported that no roads are blocked but the parking lot to the election office building was sealed off as tensions mounted.
While Maricopa election officials were forced to stop counting for fear of the surging crowd, things got equally intense in Vegas.
There, Trump fans wielded a large, cardboard cutout of him.
America is today anxiously waiting for the results of nail-biting races in Arizona and Georgia which could secure the White House for Biden if he claims both states.
The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits to stop vote-counting in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia to demand better access for Republican observers to locations where ballots are being counted.
The former vice president is 17 electoral votes short of an Oval Office victory.
The country is also waiting results from Nevada (six votes), Pennsylvania (20 votes), and North Carolina (15 votes).
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Nevada has suspended vote-counting until Thursday morning, however.
Protests erupted in AZ after election officials updated on Wednesday night that Biden has 50.7 percent to Trump’s 47.9 percent.
Meanwhile, protests raged in other major US cities, from New York City, to Minneapolis, and Washington DC, as Americans demanded their ballots be counted.
Trump fans protested in force as Biden gained ground in key states [/caption]
Yesterday evening, Maricopa election officials were forced to stop counting as a result of the angry crowd outside [/caption]
Cops arrest a protestor as he marched during the fraught NYC demonstration yesterday[/caption]
Voters in Seattle protest Trump’s lawsuits that are trying to stop vote-counting[/caption]
Americans across the US are demanding that election officials count all the ballots cast in the 2020 races[/caption]