Senator, 14 Others Arrested At Capitol Protest Over GA Election

ATLANTA, GA -- An Atlanta state senator and 14 other people were arrested Tuesday afternoon at the state capitol after a protest erupted in the halls over recent Georgia election results. State Sen. Nikema Williams (D-39) was arrested on the first day of a special legislative session called to deal with the financial impact of Hurricane Michael on the state.

Georgia counties continue the process of certifying last Tuesday's nationally watched governor's race, which has yet to be called by any major media outlet. Brian Kemp continues to maintain a lead over Democrat Stacey Abrams, who is seeking a federal injunction to delay the state's election certification process until Friday instead of end of day Tuesday.

WSB-TV's Richard Elliot filmed the protest and subsequent arrest on social media:

The station also reported that several other people were arrested.

Williams jumped into a crowd of protest leaders as police moved in to arrest them, according to GeorgiaPol.com. “They targeted all the leaders. You could hear them over the radios,” a witness told the website. “Police were definitely ready for it. They brought a lot of zip bands. You could see them on the officers.”

While Kemp declared victory last Thursday and has already named his transition team, Abrams filed a federal lawsuit on Sunday, asking a judge to delay Tuesday's 5 p.m. certification deadline, which is required by state law. Abrams is hoping to garner enough votes to force the race into a Dec. 4 runoff.

Abrams made the issue of alleged voter suppression a central issue of her campaign, accusing Kemp and state Republican officials of overly strict voter identification requirements. Kemp, meanwhile, pointed to Georgia's record number of registered voters for this election.

Kemp also resigned last week as secretary of state, with Gov. Nathan Deal appointing Crittenden to serve out the remainder of his term. There is already at least one runoff on Dec. 4 for secretary of state, between Republican Brad Raffensberger and Democrat John Barrow.

SEE ALSO:

• Kemp: I Win. Abrams: Not Yet. GA Governor's Race Saga Continues
• Kemp Resigns As Sec. Of State, Names Governor's Transition Team
• Georgia's New Secretary Of State Makes History

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Patch file photo