As presidential race drags on, local rallies call for fair election

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - Residents gathered in St. Peter and Mankato Wednesday, calling for a fair election and for all votes to be counted.

Indivisible St. Peter and Greater Mankato led the rallies.

“This is exactly what democracy looks like,” Misti Harper, member of Indivisible said.

Neon signs beckoning “count every vote” and “protect the results” were held high for passersby.

The rallies, held at Minnesota Square Park and Erlandson Park, had been scheduled for weeks. But on a sunny afternoon, the groups targeted a bold message from the president, which came late on election night from the White House.

“We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election,” President Trump said around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, when several battleground states had not yet declared a winner.

“We’ve been anticipating that Donald Trump was not going to accept any results that didn’t favor his re-election for several weeks,” Harper said.

Organizers hope their message is clear.

“I hope people that look out here and see us ... understand that we are invested in protecting our democratic processes,” Harper said. “And that citizenship isn’t something that you do every four years in a presidential election. This is something that you watch at your local and state levels all the time.”

Photojournalist Gage Cureton contributed to this report.

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