Police will guide electors to the Michigan State Capitol on Monday, when votes are cast in the Electoral College.
The state's 16 electors have been assured they will have a police escort from their vehicles to the Capitol in Lansing, where demonstrations are expected, The New York Times reported Friday. Stop the Steal, a group that supports President Donald Trump, has said it will protest the Electoral College vote from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
With Michigan being an open-carry state, demonstrations in the state often include armed protesters. The Capitol building will be closed to the public on Monday.
"We will be doing our duty," Kalamazoo Township clerk Mark E. Miller told The New York Times. "And while you've had armed people coming into the Capitol, there is no law against it, but that is strange to a lot of us.
"I’m trusting that the situation will be under control, so I’m not really worried. But perhaps I’m being naïve."
Michigan's election results giving Joe Biden victory have been certified by 83 counties and the state Board of Canvassers.
"I've been rallying at the Capitol for many years and the only time I felt uncomfortable is when there were people milling around with guns," first-time elector Bobbie Walton, 84, told the Times. "It's terrible when those things are used to intimidate people. I might have to wear one of my favorite T-shirts: 'Don’t push, I’m old.'"
The decision to close the Capitol on Monday was made by the Michigan State Capitol Commission, which operates the building. The state Democrat Party, in charge of running the Electoral College vote, agreed with the move.
"Given the number of people who have been testing positive for COVID, we’re trying to keep everybody safe," said John Truscott, of the Michigan State Capitol Commission.
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