Politics

Trump supporters protest outside Arizona election center as mail-in votes tallied

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Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election CenterReuters
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.Reuters
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President Trump supporters gather for a voters rights rally
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.AP
President Trump supporters gather for a voters rights rally
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.AP
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A few hundred supporters of President Trump protested outside an Arizona election center on Wednesday night — chanting “Count the votes” — as workers inside tallied crucial mail-in ballots from the swing state.

The crowd, which gathered outside the Maricopa County Elections Department building in Phoenix, vented their frustration at a cable network that projected Joe Biden to be the winner of the state, according to social media posts.

Later in the night, the group of protesters swelled, leading local sheriff’s deputies to suit up in tactical gear, as seen in a tweet from AZ Family news reporter Briana Whitney.

Whitney’s colleague Kim Powell said she was threatened by one of the demonstrators.

“My photographer and I have left after one protester threatened us and said he would find where we live. We are filing a police report,” Powell tweeted.

Trump’s campaign on election night disputed the calls that they lost the state, citing the outstanding amount of mail-in ballots that had yet to be counted.

“Who’s checking the mail-in votes?” a protester on Wednesday night could be heard saying over a loudspeaker, according to footage posted to Twitter by NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz.

“Democrats,” a woman answers. “Democrats are checking them.”

With 86 percent of the state reporting, Trump trailed Biden by just shy of 80,000 votes, according to the Associated Press.

As of late Wednesday, the state was still tabulating more than 300,000 ballots, the Washington Post reported.

Maricopa County, where the protesters were, planned to release more votes early Thursday, the report said.