Newsom Signs 13 California Election Bills to Block Trump Interference

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 19

California enacted 13 election bills on Saturday, with Gov. Gavin Newsom framing them as safeguards for the state's 2026 midterms against possible federal or Republican interference.
One measure bars the seizure of ballots, election records or voting technology before results are certified, while another makes it a felony for supervisors to obstruct delivery or return of mail ballots.
A separate law prohibits arrests within 200 feet of polling places on Election Day, with exceptions for election disruption or crimes against people or property.
Democrats said the package responds to Trump's repeated attacks on mail voting and his administration's July claim—made without evidence—that about 278,000 noncitizens voted in California and three other states.
Newsom signed the bills in Los Angeles at the Japanese American National Museum, a site tied to last summer's rally where Border Patrol agents appeared outside, underscoring fears of federal intimidation in immigrant communities.