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PHILADELPHIA.
The spotlight is now on the Philadelphia Exposition Center.
Inside the walls are some of the last votes in the wave master state of Pennsylvania, which can decide the entire election campaign.
– Now it feels like a TV show every day, says Pearl Williams, 22, who is outside.
The showroom in downtown Philadelphia is surrounded by police and riot fences on Wednesday night.
Here, the last votes in the key state are now counted, 24 hours a day, by 150 people working eight-hour shifts.
The American television company has placed the camera lenses against the main entrance and, therefore, the gaze of the country is focused on the building when the election campaign intensifies.
On the street, 24-year-old Evans Appiah is walking with a friend.
– Is this that can be decided? It’s crazy, he says and looks at the lighted windows.
Photo: Pontus Höök
Pearl Williams, 22 and Evans Appiah, 24.
Pearl Williams, who is standing next to her, says she first thought Trump would take Pennsylvania home, because there are so many dark red Republican districts in the countryside.
– But now I’m more insecure. It seems to be a close race here. It feels like an everyday TV show now, he says.
2.5 million postal votes
The bill in the building is moving slowly. The state has received a record number of mail-in votes during the pandemic: 2.5 million. Most in the Philadelphia area. Of the 350,000 ballots received by mail from the city, just over two-thirds of them were counted Wednesday night.
Photo: Pontus Höök
There are armed police officers on site outside the polling station.
The bill is delayed in Pennsylvania compared to other states because it is not allowed to open and scan ballots before Election Day, which are obtained elsewhere. Also, more votes by mail are expected to drop. In Pennsylvania, there is a Supreme Court ruling that ballots released no later than Election Day can be counted if they arrive on Friday.
Trump has had an advantage in the state for the past 24 hours. On Wednesday, his lead narrowed dramatically: from more than 600,000 votes in the morning, to an advantage over Joe Biden with fewer than 200,000 votes in the evening.
Liberal Zones Left
Although Trump has an advantage in the state, when close to 90 percent of the vote has been counted, Biden’s campaign is still victorious in the state.
Especially since a lot of mail-in votes remain, which is expected to benefit Democrats. Furthermore, it is primarily the districts in more liberal areas that continue to count, around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Both Pearl Williams and Evans Appiah believe that Philadelphia in particular can give Biden a real boost on the bill. The city has had many large-scale riots and protests after police violence and the death of George Floyd, which they believe has led more young people to vote for Biden.
– Trump has no empathy and does not talk about police violence against blacks. I think people will stand up and show what they think. The people here are passionate and educated. “I think there could be a lot of protests in Philadelphia again if Trump wins,” he said.
Real philadelphia
Several streets were temporarily closed around the exhibition hall on Wednesday when a group of protesters, shouting “count all the votes,” were in the area.
Additionally, the Trump campaign is suing the city of Philadelphia to stop the vote counting. They claim that campaign observers have not had access to witness what is happening at the scene.
Outside the showroom, Joe, 25, of Philadelphia, whizzes by on his bike. He voted for Biden in this year’s election because he believes Trump is such a polarizing president.
– He has divided the country. But Biden is also not the strongest candidate in my opinion. It was the least bad alternative, he says.
Photo: Pontus Höök
Joe, 25 years old.
While he’s convinced his hometown will vote for Biden, he believes the incumbent president will take home the entire state with his 20 electoral votes.
Biden may find ways to get to the White House without Pennsylvania, but Trump cannot afford to lose state in this situation.
At a press conference at the Philadelphia airport Wednesday afternoon, the president’s son, Eric Trump, and attorney Rudolph Giuliani spoke. They claimed that the Trump campaign had won in Pennsylvania, although thousands of votes remained to be counted.
“Do you think we are stupid?”
– Trump has definitely won Pennsylvania. Do you think we’re stupid? Rudolph Giuliani told the audience, CBS reports.
“Democrats know that the only way they can win this election is by cheating in Pennsylvania,” said Eric Trump.
The campaign has also filed lawsuits in the states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia. This indicates that the 2020 elections will lead to a long legal battle.
– It is not surprising. I think everyone expected Trump to say up front that he won the election and then he would oppose the results. This will take place in court for a long time, says Joe.
Photo: Pontus Höök
Pontus Höök and Emelie Svensson, on site in Philadelphia.
The state-by-state vote count
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