Detroit strengthens security at sites where ballots are counted

Four years ago, supporters of then-President Donald Trump gathered outside Detroit's downtown convention center as election workers counted absentee ballots inside.

Workers were heckled as the group held signs that said "stop the steal" and "stop the cheat." Some beat on windows inside in an attempt to disrupt vote counting. Extensive plans are in place to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey and Elections Director Daniel Baxter told reporters Thursday in the hall where ballots will be counted Tuesday that security preceding the election and throughout Tuesday night has been stepped up since 2020 when Trump supporters lobbed false accusations of voter fraud at the city.

"Nobody expected that, nobody in the country, nobody at the Department of Elections expected or anticipated that," Baxter said. "We knew that it was going to be a challenge. We had 174,000 absentee ballots counted. We were in the midst of COVID. The world was upside down. We had a turbulent America going on at the time, but we didn't anticipate the type of shenanigans that occurred during that time."


https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2024-10-31/detroit-strengthens-security-at-sites-where-ballots-are-counted