Sheila Jackson Lee arrested during voting protest in Washington

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, was arrested Thursday as she engaged in a voting protest in Washington, D.C.

The congresswoman and others were standing in front of an entryway to the Senate Hart Building before officers with the Capitol Police instructed the group that it was their “third and final warning” to disperse from the area, according to video footage posted by Jackson Lee’s office. Soon after the declaration, law enforcement cuffed Jackson Lee and other demonstrators with zip ties and led them into a police van.

Jackson Lee described the apprehension as “good trouble” as she demanded Congress to approve the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and H.R. 1, two bills designed to reform the U.S. election system.

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“Yes, I engaged in civil disobedience today in front of the Hart Building in Washington, D.C., and was arrested,” Jackson Lee said in a video posted to Twitter after the incident. “I believe when you are getting into good trouble — when you realize that the 15th Amendment has guaranteed the fundamental right to vote. Any action that is a peaceful action of civil disobedience is worthy and more to push all of us to do better and to do more.”

The congresswoman uploaded several photos after the events, including one in which she was led off by officers in zip ties and another in which she was pictured exiting what appeared to be a jail or holding facility.

The Democratic Party of Harris County, Texas, said Jackson Lee was part of a “pivotal moment” in U.S. history. Jackson Lee represents the state’s 18th Congressional District, which includes parts of Harris County and the city of Houston.

“Once again we see a Black woman at the forefront of defending our civil rights and leading the fight to save our fragile democracy,” the organization said in a statement. “Congresswoman Jackson Lee understands we are at a pivotal moment in the history of our nation, where our sacred right to vote is under grave threat. She recognizes that we all must take action to protect this right.”

Jackson Lee is at least the third lawmaker to be arrested in recent weeks, as on July 15, Rep. Joyce Beatty, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, was arrested along with several other demonstrators in a similar protest outside the Hart Senate Office. Beatty, an Ohio Democrat, sought to “end the filibuster” and “protect our voting rights.”

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On July 22, Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson was apprehended at a “Black Votes Matter” demonstration near Capitol Hill.

The Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.