Protesters in Atlanta Call for Every Legal Ballot To be Counted Accurately

Mykel Barthelemy protests at Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia on Nov. 7, 2020. (Screenshot/NTD)

After several media outlets declared that Democratic Party candidate and former vice president Joe Biden won the election on Nov. 6, thousands gathered on streets of Atlanta, Georgia to criticize the move and call for a fair ballot-counting process.

The Donald Trump re-election campaign has filed lawsuits in several key battleground states where the race was tight between the two candidates, while votes are still being counted in North Carolina.

Georgia’s secretary of state announced on Friday that the state will have a recount. Biden had overtaken Trump early Friday.

On Wednesday, the Trump campaign and the Georgia Republican Party had filed a lawsuit in Georgia, alleging that absentee ballots were improperly counted after the state’s deadline. A judge in Georgia on Thursday dismissed the lawsuit.

Over the weekend, thousands of protesters gathered at the Georgia State Capitol, State Farm Arena, and other areas of Atlanta.

“According to our Constitution and our form of government, the media does not decide who the winner is. It’s done through the state legislatures at the final tally and certified count ... And not through some exit polling or results that aren’t officially certified,” said a voter who only wished to identify himself as Donald, in an interview with NTD at a rally outside the Georgia State Capitol on Saturday. NTD is a sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.

At the rally sites, many held pro-Trump flags, worn pro-Trump hats, and carried boards with words such as “Stop Fraud!” “Stop the Steal!” “Four more years!” “Verify 1 citizen vote,” and so on.

People’s Voices

Georgia state representative Vernon Jones (D) said he supports Trump’s reelection despite his party affiliation.

He alleged that he received information that “these elections were not fair, were not transparent. There was so much room for fraud.”

Jones vowed: “We will now fight until every legal ballot is counted, and counted accurately.”

In front of the State Farm Arena, where the county’s ballots were being counted, pro-Trump protesters said they wanted the election to be transparent, free, and fair.

“I don’t want my vote to be deluded by false ballots,” one protester said.

A lady beside him introduced that she immigrated to the United States over 20 years ago and is now a naturalized American.

“This is the first time that I voted. I just want to make sure my vote is counted.” she said. “My voice is heard as a black woman [who] lives in America.”

A Cuban-American said she was concerned about the alleged irregularities in ballot-counting and noted that while living under the Communist regime in Cuba, she was not allowed to vote for her leaders.

She believed there was voter suppression in this election. “If you think this is temporary, you are wrong. This will happen to you and your children in the future,” she said.

Protester Kylie Jane Kremer said: “They [protesters] are fighting not only for President Donald J. Trump, the ballot they casted for him, but also fighting for the integrity of the election, and for our constitution,” Kremer said.

Huff Croxton, who is in her 50s, said the irregularities in ballot-counting during this election was unprecedented.

“We got to stand up now, otherwise we’re gonna lose the country,” Croxton said.