The eyes of the world were on Philadelphia last week as ballots were counted for the 2020 presidential election. Here’s what they saw as the tally slowly mounted to a victory for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
As Election Day dawned, voters anxious about mailing their ballots came to the polls early and waited in long lines.
Joe Biden made a campaign stop in Philadelphia outside the office of U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, thanking canvassers who had spent Election Day knocking on doors, making assurances about getting the pandemic under control, and rebuilding the middle class.
Across the city, performers and musicians entertained voters as they waited in long lines at the polls.
The urban cowboys of Fletcher Street rode their horses through the streets in an effort to get out the vote.
As a record number of mail and absentee ballots were processed at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in the days following the election, local activists rallied in the streets demanding that every vote be counted.
President Donald Trump’s supporters, claiming without evidence that voter fraud had taken place on a major scale, also rallied to support him. The two groups converged outside the Convention Center forming dueling rallies that continued for days.
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On Friday morning, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office announced the arrest of two Virginia men on firearms charges who allegedly posed a threat to the vote-counting center. They arrived in Philadelphia Thursday night in a Hummer sporting QAnon decals, which was parked on the street outside the Convention Center.
As Philadelphia’s vote counting wound down, the dueling rallies outside continued.
On Saturday, major news organizations called the race for Biden. Celebrations exploded across the city. Members of Unite Here and other local unions marched through Center City, celebrating the Democratic victory.
On Saturday night, President-elect Biden called for healing and cooperation in his victory speech at the Wilmington Riverfront.
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