Misleading: Workers blocked windows and barred Republican observers during absentee ballot counting in Detroit.

By: Devika Kandelwal
November 5 2020

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Observers were barred from entering the counting room as both political parties had surpassed the limit of 134 challenges with more than 200 each. US President Donald Trump shared an article published by Breitbart on Twitter. The article alleges that "hundreds of unofficial Republican observers concerned about fraud converged on the counting location" and were barred from observing absentee ballot counting in Detroit. Other social media users alleged that "workers attempting to restrict transparency and not allow people outside to observe what was going on inside the counting area." However, this is misleading. Detroit news reported that city police officers barred both Republican and Democratic poll challengers from entering the room where Detroit ballots were being counted because "both political parties had surpassed the law-mandated maximum of 134 challengers with more than 200 each." It further reported that "when election workers told Republican challengers the party had hit its limit, some began shouting about the unfair process and lack of transparency. An unidentified election worker shouted back the group was at its maximum size." Lawrence Garcia, the city of Detroit's corporation counsel and an election commissioner, told Detroit news that after they realised they surpassed the 134 limit, they stopped letting observers in. They also placed cardboard coverings on the windows were added "because people on the other side of them were taking photos and videotaping, which is not allowed by challengers and poll workers inside the ballot-counting room, and it was making some of the workers uncomfortable."