“California will not allow our elections to be commandeered by political intimidation, abuse of power, or chaotic interference from extremists chasing conspiracy theories,” Newsom said in a statement following the Wednesday bill signing. “This law protects voters, election workers, and the integrity of the democratic process from election-deniers who want to undermine democracy.”
The law additionally aims to strengthen protections for ballots’ chain of custody, making it a crime punishable by a $1,000 fine, up to three years in prison, or both to knowingly remove ballots from the custody of an elections official.
Read more: Trump Claims Mail-In Voting Is ‘Corrupt.’ But Research Indicates Fraud Is Very, Very Rare
The measure takes effect immediately––which the bill described as “necessary” in anticipation of the fast-approaching June 2 primary, which will see millions of Californians cast ballots in state and federal races.
Among them, the Governor referenced what he called the “abuse” in Riverside County last month, when Sheriff Bianco, a Republican running for governor, led the seizure of around 650,000 ballots from the registrar of voters after a local election watchdog, Riverside Election Integrity Team, claimed to have found discrepancies in the tally of votes in the 2025 special election that led to the state’s approval of redrawn voting maps via Proposition 50.
Newsom also called out a “pattern of actions” by the Trump Administration and the President’s allies, including attempts to “access the voting rolls of our state,” as well as Trump’s efforts to “vandalize trust as it relates to vote by mail and so many other categories,” his aggressive push for Congress to pass new voter-identification requirements, and the partisan redistricting battle he sparked by pushing Republican-led states to redraw the maps to bolster the party’s electoral chances.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in January seized ballots in Georgia from the 2020 general election in an apparent attempt to pursue Trump’s claims that President Joe Biden’s win was based on rampant voter fraud. The Administration has also acquired 2020 election-related records from Arizona, and reportedly attempted to do the same in Nevada.
“These guys are not screwing around, they're ruthless,” said Newsom. “So it's in that spirit that I'm signing this, sober about what we're up against.”
Early voting is already underway in California with less than a week before Tuesday’s primary, and roughly 10% of ballots have been cast statewide, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office.
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