Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Wednesday that aims to shield California elections from federal interference, saying he expected President Donald Trump's administration to try to meddle in this year's midterm elections.
The law, which took effect immediately and came days before next Tuesday's primary, prohibits any person — including federal agents — from accessing voter rolls or election technology without a court order. Law enforcement officers are restricted from disrupting election workers, except in public safety emergencies. The legislation also makes it a crime to knowingly take voted ballots out of the custody of election officials.
What the Left Is Saying
Newsom, a Democrat who cannot seek a third term as governor, said at a news conference that the election law is a response to "legitimate anxiety" about Trump's tactics, primarily in Democratic-led states where the president has deployed federal agents over the objections of local leaders. The governor warned against underestimating someone who "doesn't believe in free and fair elections."
"I expect the worst with Trump because he's done the worst," Newsom said.
Trump administration officials have said they have no plans to send immigration agents to polling locations across the U.S., a concern raised this year by several Democratic secretaries of state. However, Newsom argued that precautions are necessary: "We have to be prepared for everything" because "there's no rules anymore with the Trump administration."
Earlier this year, the FBI under Trump seized the 2020 general election ballots from Georgia's most populous county, which is heavily Democratic and has long been at the center of Trump's false claims that fraud cost him the race. The Justice Department also sought records from previous elections in the largest counties in Arizona and Michigan.
What the Right Is Saying
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Associated Press that Trump is committed to ensuring Americans have full confidence in the administration of elections.
"Instead of levying false attacks at the President, Newscum should look in the mirror," she said in a statement, using Trump's derogatory nickname for Newsom.
In an interview last year with Vanity Fair, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles knocked down the idea that Trump would deploy the military to suppress voting, calling it "categorically false."
Trump administration officials have maintained they have no plans to send immigration agents to polling locations across the country, contradicting what Democratic secretaries of state have suggested.
What the Numbers Show
Voting is already underway in California's closely watched primary for governor. A crowded field of Democrats and two viable Republicans are vying for just two spots on the November ballot. Under California's open primary system, only the top two vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.
Trump triggered a national redistricting frenzy ahead of the midterms when he urged Republicans in Texas and elsewhere to redraw their U.S. House districts to help the party retain control of the closely divided chamber. Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida and Tennessee have enacted new maps that could benefit Republicans, with Louisiana expected to follow.
Republicans so far think they could gain as many as 14 seats from redistricting in November, while Democrats think they could gain six seats in California and Utah.
The Bottom Line
The law represents California's most direct response yet to concerns about potential federal intervention in elections under the Trump administration. With voting already underway for Tuesday's primary, the legislation establishes immediate guardrails against access to voter data and election infrastructure.
The conflict highlights ongoing tensions between Democratic-led states and the Republican-controlled federal government over election administration and security. The White House's dismissal of California's concerns suggests the issue may generate further political friction as November approaches.
California voters will determine which candidates advance from Tuesday's primary to the general election in a state that has historically leaned Democratic but where the governor's race could test party unity ahead of the fall contest.