Alyssa Milano was among dozens arrested during a demonstration outside the White House while advocating for the protection of voting rights.
The protest was organized by People for the American Way and took place on Tuesday ahead of the Senate's vote to move forward with the Freedom to Vote Act, which will reform voter registration and make Election Day a public holiday.
According to Deadline, a U.S. Park Police officer had warned the demonstrators that they could be arrested for contravening a District of Columbia misdemeanor law that prohibits crowding or the obstruction of streets and sidewalks. In a statement, Sgt. Roselyn Norment, public information officer for U.S. Park Police, revealed that 24 people were issued citations after they "obstructed pedestrian traffic on the North White House sidewalk," and later released. Milano confirmed her own arrest on Twitter.
"I was just arrested for demanding the Biden Administration and the Senate to use their mandate to protect voting rights," she tweeted. "Stand with me and @peoplefor and tell the Senate and White House that voting rights shouldn’t depend on where you live. #DontMuteOurVote."
Ben Jealous, the current president for People For the American Way, was also arrested at the demonstration.
"We came back to the White House to deliver a clear message to President Biden: we need actions that match the urgency of his words on voting rights – and time is running out," tweeted before his arrest. "The Freedom to Vote Act has to pass now if we are going to protect voting rights in the next election for all of us: for Black voters and Brown voters, for women, for younger voters and older voters, voters with disabilities and working people of all backgrounds."
Jealous added that "the president needs to step up, or voting rights will die on his watch."