Reported by Steve Konieczka and Patrick Chee in DC for IMC/Chicago

Busloads of protesters from Chicago and Michigan arrived safely In DC. IMC/Chicago asked some of the travelers what brought them to the Inaugural protests.

William Davis from Ann Arbor, Michigan came to protest the election in general and Ashcroft specifically, because the election was "very dishonest."

Judy Eurgess from Troy, Michigan told us " Ashcroft needs to go back to church."

Herman Mabba, a German citizen and a student attending the University of Illinois/Chicago, called the Bush election ridiculous and noted the election as his main reason for being there. He had no confidence in the validity of this election and came to participate in the voter march.

Mabba notes that in the U.S., campaigns are about personalities and not issues, that even in the Florida case--how to count the votes rather than the issues involved in the process was the focus.

On foreign policy he feels Bush hasn't a clue. Still, under Bush's administration, he foresees no change in economic policies, which he believes to be the source of all this country's problems.

Mabba is concerned that Germany is trying to replicate the US economic processes, but that at least his country still focuses on the issues, not on personalities.

Harold Taggert, a long-time activist from Chicago, is fed up with the electoral system. He thinks this election is a sign of the elite's "overconfidence."

Michael Sperus of Chicago came for the voter march. The unfair election fueled his joining the movement--he sees this issue as mainstream--not radical.

He believes America is supposed to be a democracy, but Bush was not elected by the people--that the electoral college did not echo the democratically elected choice of the people.

Sperus says the voting public does not consider the election legitimate--that at least half think Bush was not really elected and that this lack of confidence will make for ineffectual government for the next four years. He considers the uncounted Florida votes a major concern.

He planned to protest the election and thought he'd be doing his own thing, so he was very surprised at number of people and organized protests.

Lorana Tremper from Detroit, Michigan said simply: "It was fixed!" and Tina Eshelman from Royal Oak, Michigan says she just had to come. She was very disappointed, especially about the Florida votes not counted.

She's upset enough about whole process down there that she left her child and husband at home to come to DC to protest. Eshelman says that her husband would have come to protest too, if it weren't for their child.

Tremper and Eshelman were walking together from Du Pont Circle to the Ellipse. Both women shared the opinion that the election process had been fixed and that the next four years would be scary--both frightening and interesting.