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Georgia: Black Woman State Senator Arrested at Peaceful Voter Protest

HeadlineNov 14, 2018

In more news from Georgia, state Senator Nikema Williams was among 15 peaceful protesters arrested Tuesday at the state Capitol as they called for all votes to be counted in the Georgia gubernatorial race. This is state Senator Nikema Williams speaking after her release.

Sen. Nikema Williams: “I was singled out as a black female senator standing in the rotunda with constituents in the Capitol, a body that I serve in, and I was singled out and arrested today for standing with so many Georgians who are demanding that every vote be counted. And I am incredibly proud and will continue to stand with the citizens of Georgia.”

On Monday, a federal judge blocked Georgia interim Secretary of State Robyn Crittenden from certifying the governor’s race before Friday and ordered the review of thousands of provisional ballots. Until last week, the secretary of state was Brian Kemp—who’s the Republican candidate. Kemp stepped down from the post last week, after the election. During the campaign, Kemp was accused of overseeing a widespread voter suppression effort targeting African Americans. Unofficial voting numbers put Kemp in the lead at 50.3 percent of the vote over Stacey Abrams, a progressive Democrat who’s seeking to become the nation’s first black woman elected governor. If Kemp’s vote share shrinks to 50 percent or less, the race will go to a runoff.

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