A chaotic scene erupted outside the vote tally room at TCF Center in Detroit as election officials informed dozens of challengers that they could not reenter the room due to it being over-capacity.
Police had to push back crowds as they argued to be allowed in the vote-counting arena. Republicans shouted that they were unfairly being kept out, but then Democratic challengers countered that it was not true because they were being kept outside, too.
Under election rules, each group contesting the vote is allowed to have 134 challenges.
But as of right now, 570 challengers are freely roaming the room as poll workers count the 25,000 absentee ballots from Detroiters.
That includes 227 Republican challengers; 268 Democrat challengers and 75 Nonpartisan challengers, including groups like the ACLU and the League of Women voters.
Republicans argue the process is unfairly allowing more Democratic-leaning challengers in than Republicans.
Democrats disagree.
“I can’t get there either. I’m a Democrat and I’m a lawyer,” said Bill Richards, an attorney from Beverly Hills, who monitored the counting process all morning. He said he was impressed with the process, saying that challengers could freely roam the center and approach counters from up to six feet behind, and even witness inspectors deciding which ballots could be spoiled or not.
“I was totally blown away at the process,” Richards said. “It’s amazing to me that the public is allowed in there.”
Republicans nearby scoffed at his claims, saying that the public is there because it has a right to be there.
“This is all our jobs,” said one Republican challenger.
After scores of challengers converged on the Detroit vote-counting process Wednesday afternoon, election officials shut the doors to any new people seeking to monitor the historic vote tally.
Within hours of Democratic nominee Joe Biden taking the first lead in Michigan, more than 100 challengers showed up at the TCF Center downtown, making security nervous as more than 200 challengers were already roaming the floor, monitoring poll workers as they count the absentee votes that could decide the election.
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“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. “We are not allowing any more challengers in at this time.”
Attorney Timothy Griffin, a Republican challenger from Virginia who has been at the TCF all day and was here overnight, says the system is unfair.
“This whole thing is under suspicion,” said Griffin, who is with a group called the Election Integrity Fund. “It’s not equal …. It’s just not fair.”
Meanwhile, Democratic challengers said they were showing up to make sure things were fair.
“I just want to make sure that all Michigan votes are counted,” said Liz Linkewitz, 35, of Harrison Township. “This election is, as Joe Biden says, for the soul of our country.”
Tresa Baldas is an award-winning courts and legal issues reporter and was named the 2020 Richard Milliman “Michigan” Journalist of the Year by the Michigan Press Association. Contact her at [email protected]. Or follow her on Twitter @Tbaldas.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Chaos erupts at TCF Center as Republican vote challengers cry foul in Detroit
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