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In an effort to be transparent, local governments across America – including those in key battleground states – are live-streaming ballot processing.
Live video broadcasts of voting, counting and processing were set up so voters could watch democracy in action.
It’s a boring, tiresome vision – but one made in the hope that the results won’t be called into question by accusations of corruption or deliberate miscalculation.
Live broadcasts of vote counts are not a new aspect of the US electoral system, but transparency has become crucial since Trump’s defeat in the election.
The Trump campaign has cast a large shadow over voting integrity, and in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to observe in person.
It varies from county to county, but election officials say the live broadcasts are public so voters know their ballots are being counted correctly.
One live stream was launched in Arizona’s Maricopa County, a traditionally Republican stronghold leading up to the 2020 election.
Viewers can watch broadcasts from multiple camera angles in the ballot processing area in downtown Phoenix.
There are sources of ballot processing, processing, counting and storage that anyone around the world can watch in real time.
Arizona state law requires counties to broadcast live elections, both local and national.
National Association of Election Officials Chief Program Officer Tammy Patrick said AP live broadcasts are a step towards transparency, but they are not a perfect solution to demystifying the electoral process.
“The more transparent we can be, the better,” she said.
“When you’re transparent, it doesn’t mean that individuals will necessarily know what they’re seeing or understand what they’re seeing.”
Patrick said voters can contact local and state officials or apply to be poll workers to really understand how ballot counting works.
Harris arranges celebrities by battleground states in the final hours
“But you have to be ready to accept the facts and the truth,” she added.
Some survey workers also added cues so viewers could understand exactly what was happening on camera to avoid confusion.
Other key locations outside of Arizona have set up live streams, including Delaware County in Pennsylvania, Collin County in Texas and Kootenai County in Idaho.
Some locations don’t start streaming until after the November 5th US election.
What did Trump say about voter fraud?
Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election after a close race against President Joe Biden, claiming widespread election fraud was the reason for the Republican defeat.
On Election Day 2020, Trump refused to recognize the election and wanted to stop the vote counting.
“This is a fraud on the American public. This is a disgrace to our country,” he said.
“We were going to win this election. Honestly, we won this election. We all want the voting to stop.”
The former president tried to initiate 60 fraud lawsuits in several states, but all were unsuccessful.
Trump also made claims in February that postal voting was “totally corrupt.”
He then told a rally in Iowa that Democrats were “importing voters” to allow non-American citizens to vote.
During a speech in Michigan on Friday, Trump said Kamala Harris would only win thanks to “cheating.”
“If I lose – I’ll tell you something, it’s possible. Because they’re cheating. That’s the only way we’re going to lose, because they’re cheating,” he said.
Harris’ campaign dismissed Trump’s recent claims of voter fraud in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
A senior Harris campaign official told CNN the team is “monitoring voting across the country” and monitoring any issues ahead of the US election.
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