Georgia Lawmaker Charged With Felony For Protesting Voting Bill Outside Governor's Office

Park Cannon was arrested as she protested the passing of a restrictive voting bill signed into law by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

Democratic state Rep. Park Cannon was arrested Thursday at the Georgia State Capitol as she protested the passing of a restrictive voting bill.

In a report from NPR, Cannon was arrested and charged with two offenses — felony obstruction of law enforcement and a misdemeanor of preventing or disrupting General Assembly sessions or other meetings of members — after she repeatedly knocked on Gov. Brian Kemp's office door in protest of the governor signing Senate bill 202 into law. The law will limit early and absentee voting, as well as make it a crime for third-party groups to hand out food and water to voters standing in line. Cannon had referred to the bill as "Jim Crow in a suit and tie" on Twitter, adding that "it selectively removes all of the levers trump was unable to pull to overturn the will of the people of Georgia."

In a separate report from the Washington Post, an activist who recorded Cannon's arrest recounted the incident.

"A capitol officer came over and said, 'Don’t knock on my door,' and she’s like, 'Well, are they in there signing the bill?' and he’s like, 'Don’t knock on the door.' And it was at that point that I started filming," Tamara Stevens said.

Images of the arrest also surfaced on social media.

Cannon shared an update on Twitter following the arrest, tweeting: "Hey everyone, thank you for your support. I’ve been released from jail. I am not the first Georgian to be arrested for fighting voter suppression. I’d love to say I’m the last, but we know that isn’t true."