California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed a raft of legislation aimed at protecting the state’s voting systems against federal intervention in November’s midterm elections.
“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. “California will stop him at every opportunity.”
Among the bills signed by the Democratic governor — who is widely regarded as a potential 2028 presidential contender — is one that bars other states’ militaries from entering California without the governor’s permission, and another criminalizing the seizure of ballots or election records before results are certified.
He also signed a bill that expands protections on mail-in voting, which President Donald Trump has sought to restrict across the country this year despite having voted by mail himself, including in last month’s Florida primary elections. Newsom also approved legislation that prohibits law enforcement officers from arresting people within 200 feet of a polling place on Election Day, unless the person is actively committing a crime.
Some of the bills appear expressly to address fears stoked by Trump and his allies about the integrity of the midterm elections. The president has repeatedly sought to undermine confidence in election security, warning of widespread fraud — including in California — despite evidence showing otherwise. He has suggested that the federal government should take control of the administration of elections as a safeguard against “cheating,” of which there has been no evidence.
His administration has threatened to penalize states that do not cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security on election security, and Trump officials have left open the possibility that federal immigration enforcement agents could be deployed to polling places.
Trump has also pushed to implement restrictions on mail-in ballots for the midterms, though his efforts were rebuffed by the Supreme Court last week.
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