Established Fact
Beginning at approximately 1:00 p.m. on November 4, 2020, TCF Center ballot-counting operations became crowded, and access for new challengers was restricted under a capacity-management rationale. Republican challengers reported being denied re-entry after leaving; the Detroit Free Press confirmed that both Republican and Democratic challengers were denied re-entry at points during the evening. Windows were covered with cardboard and pizza boxes; election officials stated this was due to challenger filming and crowding behavior, not to conceal operations. A court order was required to expand challenger access; challengers submitted sworn affidavits asserting the order was not fully complied with. The Wayne County Circuit Court denied a preliminary injunction in Costantino v. Detroit, finding insufficient evidence of systematic exclusion.
Established Fact: access restrictions occurred; challenger access was a contested operational issue resolved in part by court order.
Citations
Republican Poll Watchers Prevented from Entering Detroit Ballot Counting Center – Local Officials Say It’s Due to ‘COVID’ Concerns (VIDEO), https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/11/exclusive-video-republican-poll-watchers-prevented-entering-detroit-ballot-counting-center-local-officials-say-due-covid-concerns-video/ | The Gateway Pundit
Detroit Free Press, “What Really Happened Inside Detroit’s TCF Center Amid Ballot Counting” (Nov. 6, 2020): https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/04/tcf-center-challengers-detroit-michigan/6164715002/. By 1:00 PM on November 4, there were 268 Democratic, 227 Republican, and 75 nonpartisan challengers; the room’s established limit was exceeded. Both parties’ challengers were denied re-entry due to overcrowding.; Free Press account likely relied upon “official numbers” from election officials seeking to avoid oversight. Eyewitness accounts that include the author of this report who was training the next batch of GOP poll challengers upstairs at the time of the lockout attest to no more than a dozen GOP poll challengers inside at that time and attribute the inflated number of GOP poll challengers cited by the Free Press as potentially due to a distinct lack of a poll challenger checkout process in place throughout the election.
USA Today Fact Check: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/11/10/fact-check-videos-crowd-locked-out-detroit-center-lack-context/6195038002/. Windows were covered because election workers felt intimidated by challengers filming through them; the Detroit Free Press confirmed this was attributed to anti-intimidation, not concealment of counting.
Costantino v. City of Detroit (Nov. 13, 2020): Court found fraud affidavits “rife with generalization, speculation, hearsay” and found no credible evidence of fraud. Court found Democratic challengers were also blocked. Court credited the capacity explanation. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Costantino_v._City_of_Detroit
Reuters, “Michigan Still Counting Votes, Angry Poll Watchers Barred in Detroit, Trump Sues” (Nov. 5, 2020): https://www.reuters.com/world/us/michigan-still-counting-votes-angry-poll-watchers-barred-detroit-trump-sues-2020-11-05/ | Reuters
TCF Timeline: The 2020 General Election in Detroit, https://drive.google.com/file/d/18f9PLY3IXUPJiMyStdNgMmAYGgjpBXZx/view?usp=drive_link | MC4EI