California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping package of 13 election protection bills in Los Angeles on Saturday, targeting what he characterized as federal interference in upcoming midterm elections.
The Democratic governor has repeatedly warned that President Trump’s administration would attempt to meddle in state electoral processes, framing the legislation as a direct counter to those efforts.
“Donald Trump won’t stop until he can exert dictatorial control over your free vote and disenfranchise millions of people this November,” Newsom said in a statement accompanying the signing.
“We have no bigger task than fighting to protect the right to vote from interference and meddling — the future of democracy is on the line,” he continued, adding that the bills build upon protections California has already put in place.
The signing ceremony took place at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, part of the Democracy Center in Los Angeles, a location Newsom’s office noted had been targeted by federal agents last year.
His office described that prior federal action as an attempt to politically intimidate California officials and the broader Los Angeles community, making the venue choice a deliberate symbolic statement.
Among the specific measures included in the package, Assembly Bill 282 makes it a felony to seize ballots, election records, or certified voting technology before election results are certified.
Senate Bill 259 imposes a felony penalty on authority figures who direct employees to interfere with the delivery or return of a mail-in ballot, adding criminal accountability to the state’s existing protections.
Assembly Bill 1664 requires local agencies and election officials to promptly notify the state of specified law-enforcement actions involving election records or certified voting technology.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber joined Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta at the signing, with Weber stating that “this legislative package ensures that California voters will not be silenced or intimidated.”
Attorney General Bonta referenced a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that supported California and other Democratic-leaning states in blocking Trump administration-proposed changes to mail-in voting procedures.
The new package builds on earlier legislation Newsom signed in May, which prohibited federal agents from accessing voter rolls or election technologies without a court order.
That earlier law also restricted law enforcement officers from disrupting election workers except in public safety emergencies, taking effect immediately before California’s June primary election.
Newsom framed Saturday’s action as part of a continuing and escalating effort to protect state electoral sovereignty from what his administration considers unlawful federal overreach into California’s democratic processes.
“These bills today build upon the wall California has built to safeguard our electoral process,” Newsom said, signaling that the state intends to continue pursuing additional protections as the midterms approach.
