PHILADELPHIA -- Election staff focused on their work of closely scrutinizing and counting mail-in ballots for the U.S. presidential election at a vote-counting center on Friday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's largest city, while supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden faced off just outside.
When I visited the ballot-counting center, located in a large business and commercial complex in central Philadelphia, supporters of both candidates were shouting at the entrance.
About 30 pro-Trump protesters made claims of fraudulent mail-in ballots, chanting, "Count legal votes!" At the same time, about 300 Biden supporters countered with the demand that the ballots continue to be counted, shouting, "Count every vote!"
Police officers took their position between the two sides in preparation for any outbreak of unrest or other unforeseen events.
In contrast, the ballot-counting station's interior was rather quiet as election staff members wearing masks and face shields concentrated on proceeding with the opening and counting of ballots.
In Pennsylvania, mail-in ballots received by Friday are to be counted if they were postmarked by Nov. 3, Election Day. Democrat supporters are said to have favored mail-in ballots out of concerns over the infection risk of the novel coronavirus. This has been the key to Biden overtaking Trump in the state as the tallying process progressed.
There are also votes cast by military personnel stationed overseas. In such a close race, these votes could affect the outcome of the election.
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