Count every vote: Protesters take to streets across US as ballots tallied

Across the US, protestors – most aligned with Democrats and progressives – are demanding that officials “count every vote.”

In New York City, thousands marched on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue as ballots were still being tallied in key battleground states.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said it made about 50 arrests in protests that spread in the city late on Wednesday.

People attend a "Count Every Vote" rally the day after the US election in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, November 4, 2020. REUTERS

In Portland, police made arrests and seized fireworks, hammers and a rifle after late night demonstrations, as Oregon Governor Kate Brown activated the state's National Guard in response to "widespread violence" on the night after voting in the US presidential election.

Portland Police said it arrested ten people in the demonstrations after declaring riots in the city's downtown area.

Also read: Police arrest 10 in Portland, 50 in New York on night after US vote

Similar protests took place in at least a half-dozen cities, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and San Diego, reports The Guardian.

In Chicago, protesters marched through downtown and along a street across the river from Trump Tower, demanding a complete count.

In Minneapolis, police arrested dozens of protesters who were demanding action on a range of issues including policing, climate change and immigration. 

Demonstrators in Michigan marched to demand a complete count after a small cluster of supporters of Donald Trump descended on a ballot counting center amid chants of “Stop the count!” on Wednesday.

In Phoenix, Arizona, pro-Trump demonstrators, some of whom were armed, gathered outside the state capitol to demand exactly the opposite as Joe Biden’s lead in the state continued to shrink as more votes were counted.

A supporter of US President Donald Trump holds flags as he stands in front of the Arizona State Capitol Building to protest about the early results of the 2020 presidential election, in Phoenix, Arizona November 4, 2020. REUTERS

Trump’s persistent distrust of mail-in ballots had raised fears that delay in counting votes might lead to widespread civil unrest, but that has not yet happened. 

Despite scattered protests breaking out across the country, there was no significant violence.