Georgia state lawmaker arrested protesting new voting law
The law - which adds a new voter ID requirement, limits ballot drop boxes and makes it a misdemeanour crime to give food and drinks to voters waiting in line amidst other restrictions - have been decried by opponents as one of the most damaging attempts to limit access to the ballot box in the United States.
Video livestreamed on Facebook and obtained by Reuters showed state representative Park Cannon - a Democrat from Atlanta - being taken away and handcuffed by police after knocking on the governor's door and saying that the public should be allowed to witness the bill signing. Protesters accompanying Cannon objected to the arrest.
Republican state leaders and election officials in Georgia battled with former president Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election as he made baseless claims of election fraught disproved by hand and machine recounts and rejected by courts and investigators. A later runoff election in January saw Democrats win both Senate seats and control of the Senate.
