Alyssa Milano says she was arrested during voting rights protest outside White House

Alyssa Milano was arrested during a voting rights demonstration in Washington after she and other protesters obstructed pedestrian traffic, a representative for the U.S. Park Police said.

The actress and activist, 48, attended a protest Tuesday with the group People for the American Way as the Senate prepared to vote on the Freedom to Vote Act. If passed, it would establish federally managed election rules including early voting options, looser voter identification requirements and access to mail-in ballots.

"I'm going to risk arrest today because in the last year, there have been 425 bills that have been introduced to restrict voting rights," Milano said in a clip shared on Twitter. "So I'm going to demand that our president do everything in his power to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the DC Statehood Act."

Hours later, Milano provided an update that she was arrested.

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"I was just arrested for demanding the Biden administration and the Senate to use their mandate to protect voting rights," she wrote alongside a photo of her at the event. "Stand with me and @peoplefor and tell the Senate and White House that voting rights shouldn't depend on where you live. #DontMuteOurVote."

Sgt. Roselyn Norment, a public information officer for the Park Police, said in a statement to USA TODAY on Tuesday that Milano and 23 others refused to comply with three dispersal warnings. Norment said Milano and the others were issued citations for obstructing traffic and were later released.

Milano has been outspoken about her political activism in recent years. In 2019, the "Charmed" actress opened up about her personal experience with abortion in protest of restrictive laws that she called "an assault against women's bodies."

"In 1993, I had two abortions," she shared at the time. "I was in love for the first time, in the breathless way you can only be in love when you are young. It was huge. … It filled every part of living. It was a joyful and exciting and powerful time in my life."

Milano said the reality of anti-abortion legislation forced her to reflect on how different her life would have been if she hadn't had access to safe and legal abortions.

"I would not have my career. I would not have the ability or platform I use to fight against oppression with all my heart. … I would never had been free to be myself – and that’s what this fight is all about: freedom."

Contributing: Cydney Henderson, Charles Trepany

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alyssa Milano arrested while advocating for Freedom to Vote Act