Georgia state politician arrested for opposing new election law – VG

The incident happened while Governor Kemp was filming a live report Signed a law that would reduce the chance of early voting In the state of Georgia.

According to Atlanta Journal Constitution Cannon, a Democratic state politician who vehemently opposes the law change, entered the office in the Congress building and saw the law signed.

She didn’t get it. Instead, he was taken away by police, handcuffed and forcibly evicted from the state building – before he was placed in a police car, the newspaper writes.

In a statement Reproduced on CNN Georgia State Police said Park Cannon first knocked on the governor’s office door before knocking on another door for Kemp, titled “Staff Only.” Police told her to stop again and warned that she could be arrested.

– Cannon refused to stop knocking on the door. Cannon was arrested and evicted from the congressional building, according to the report, and the politician was taken to Fulton County Jail.

In arrest documents such as CNN The channel says the state politician was accused of resisting the police order and disturbing or interfering with the public meeting. According to police, he should have done this when he knocked on the door because he “knew the governor was going to sign a law.”

In an update on Twitter at 05.30am on Friday, Norwegian time, the Democratic politician wrote that he had been released.

– Thanks for the support. I was released from prison. I am not the first Georgia resident to be arrested for oppression. I want to say that I am the last, but we know that is not true.

Attorney Gerald Griggs was in jail Friday night and said he was working to get Cannon released on bail.

– She did her job

According to News agency A.P. There must have been about ten protesters outside the governor’s doorstep in the state legislature in Georgia when the incident happened.

Among them is Democrat Erica Thomas, who sits in the state Congress.

– He did his job as an elected representative. He asked where the governor was and where the law was signed Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Activist Tamara Stevens also attended, telling the newspaper that Park was arrested for “knocking on a door.”

– She knew he was signing a law that would affect all people in Georgia. Why would he hide behind closed doors? Activist Tamara Stevens says this is not a monarchy.

Detailed assembly changes

According to the news agency Reuters, the changes adopted in Georgia’s electoral law on Thursday were far-reaching.

Among other things, everyone who votes in advance in the mail now shows ID papers with a picture, they have less time to ask for ballots, and the number of places where ballots can be sent is low. Helping those in line to vote is also prohibited.

Republican elected officials Now with similar bills in large parts of the United States.

Critics in Georgia believe the legal changes will reduce the influence of the state’s black voters in particular – a group of voters who were central when Democrats won their first victory in the state since 1992 in 2020.

– Gloria Butler, Democrat minority leader in the state Senate, says the law is rife with tactics to repress voters. News agency A.P..

Protects legislative changes

Governor Brian Kemp defends legal changes.

– State elections must be reformed. There are no doubt that there were a number of dangerous challenges in how the election was handled, and when it comes to confidence in the voices here in Georgia, those issues have led to a crisis that is understandable, He said after signing the bill.

Democrats, for their part, argue that allegations of election fraud by former President Donald Trump – especially in Georgia – have caused the crisis – not the way the election was conducted.

Among other things, it has changed Trump is said to have tried to put pressure on the state Republicans Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, to “find” more votes A case currently pending at the state level.

Rafenzberger has denied all allegations of electoral fraud, insisting that Georgia’s residents can trust the election to be credible. As part of the legislative changes signed by Governor Kemp on Thursday, the Secretary of State will no longer head the State Electoral Commission.

Instead, the Republican-dominated state Congress should nominate a candidate.