Georgia Lawmaker Arrested Amid Protest To Count Every Vote In Governor Race

A Georgia state senator who joined protesters at the state Capitol building in Atlanta in an effort to make sure all the ballots from last week’s gubernatorial election are counted was arrested on Tuesday.

State Sen. Nikema Williams (D-Atlanta) was arrested in the rotunda after authorities said they issued warnings for the demonstrators to disperse.

“I stood peacefully next to my constituents because they wanted their voices to be heard, and now I’m being arrested,” Williams told reporters after her hands were zip-tied by police. “And now I’m being arrested.”

The demonstrations were sparked by concerns over the ongoing recount in the too-close-to-call governor’s race between Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams. A federal judge blocked Georgia’s secretary of state , who until last Thursday was Kemp, from certifying election results until at least this coming Friday in order to allow time to review thousands of provisional ballots.