US election officials concerned by threats and protesters

Election officials in several US states have expressed fears about the safety of their workers amid a stream of threats and gatherings of angry protesters outside their doors, spurred by Donald Trump’s claims of a corrupt election.

Groups of Trump supporters have gathered at vote tabulation sites in Phoenix, Detroit and Philadelphia, decrying counts that showed Democrat Joe Biden leading or gaining ground.

While the protests have not been violent or very large, local officials were distressed by the crowds and concerned about the relentless accusations.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel tweeted a plea to “stop making harassing & threatening calls” to her staff.

“Asking them to shove sharpies in uncomfortable places is never appropriate & is a sad commentary on the state of our nation,” wrote Nessel, a Democrat.

Ms Nessel was referring to a false conspiracy theory that Trump supporters were told to fill out ballots with Sharpie markers instead of regular pens so that their votes would not be counted by the machines.

Dear members of the public: Please stop making harassing & threatening calls to my staff. They are kind, hardworking public servants just doing their job. Asking them to shove sharpies in uncomfortable places is never appropriate & is a sad commentary on the state of our nation.

— Dana Nessel (@dananessel) November 5, 2020

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, speaking on CNN, said her main concern was staff safety but that sheriff’s deputies were providing protection. She said protesters were “causing delay and disruption and preventing those employees from doing their job”.

On Thursday, around 100 Trump supporters gathered again in front of the Maricopa County election centre in Phoenix, some carrying military-style rifles and handguns. Arizona law allows people to openly carry guns.

Authorities at the centre used fences to create a “freedom of speech zone” and keep the entrance to the building open. The crowd took turns chanting — “Count the votes!” and “Four more years!” — and complaining through a megaphone about the voting process.

They paused to listen as Mr Trump spoke from the White House, where he repeated many of his groundless assertions of a rigged vote.

They whooped and clapped when the president said, “We’re on track to win Arizona.” The Associated Press has called Arizona for Mr Biden.

In Atlanta, roughly 100 chanting Trump supporters gathered outside State Farm Arena as votes were being counted. Several Atlanta police officers monitored the scene.

Tom Haas, 50, who said he was visiting Atlanta from Chicago on business, said he was convinced Trump had won the election. “There’s obvious voter fraud, and it’s coming out of the larger Democratic-run cities,” he said. “Atlanta is one of them.”

“Our democracy is under attack,” he said, echoing Mr Trump’s language.

A few dozen Trump supporters gathered outside Detroit’s convention centre on Thursday morning as election workers counted absentee ballots inside. The protesters held signs that read, “Stop the steal” and “Stop the cheat”.

In Las Vegas, around 100 backers of the president chanted as they stood along the road in front of the election offices.