As President Donald Trump’s legal team prepares a series of lawsuits in key battleground states after Tuesday’s election, hundreds of protesters gathered in Chicago on Wednesday night to call for a full counting of the ballots from that race.
Made up of several different groups, the protesters were unified behind a simple message: let every vote count.
“Although there are so many feelings, we are pretty clear on how we’re going to act: shut these streets down, and make sure that every vote is counted,” Kobi Guillory of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression said.
“We are absolutely here to ensure the integrity of our democracy,” Troy Gaston, marching along with other Black Lives Matter supporters, said.
The protests began in Daley Plaza on Wednesday night, and marchers made their way over to Michigan Avenue, up to Wacker Drive, back to Clark and then back to the plaza as they made their voices heard.
Chicago police were there every step of the way, keeping marchers on the designated route in what was ultimately a mostly peaceful march.
“I’m out here to support the true vote. It’s not so much for me of being one party or the other. We just need the best candidate,” Demetrius Bonner of the Housing Resource Network said. “Right now I’m just hoping for transparency in government.”
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The march comes as President Trump threatens legal action in several states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia. NBC News has projected that Democratic nominee Joe Biden will win the state of Michigan, a key pickup as he tries to limit Trump to one term in office.
The Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in Georgia on Wednesday, demanding that a judge order election officials to follow laws on storing and counting absentee ballots.
“We know that Trump is not going to go easily,” Guillory said. “He’s been there a while.”
Biden has repeatedly called for every vote to be counted in the race.
“It’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to declare the winner of this election. It’s the voters’ place,” Biden said. “We feel good about where we are. We believe we are on track to win this election.”
