California Governor Newsom Signs Election Security Laws to Block Federal Interference

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a series of bills on Sunday designed to strengthen election security and guard against federal political interference in the state's voting process, according to an announcement from his office.

Mail-in voting protections

One key measure extends the hours during which residents can drop off mail-in ballots at designated locations. Newsom tied this provision directly to efforts to resist the Trump administration's attempts to restrict mail-in voting, which the administration claims—without evidence—is prone to fraud. The US Supreme Court recently blocked a related administration proposal that would have required states to hand over lists of approved mail-ballot voters to the postal service.

In a statement, Newsom said Trump would not stop until he could exert dictatorial control over elections and disenfranchise millions of voters ahead of November, vowing that California would resist such efforts at every turn.

Criminalizing ballot seizures

Another bill in the package makes it a felony to seize ballots or election records. The measure appears connected to an incident earlier this year in which the sheriff of Riverside County took possession of more than 650,000 ballots from a 2025 special election on redistricting.

Disclosure rules for influencers

The legislation also sets new rules governing how political campaigns work with social media influencers, imposing penalties on individuals who fail to disclose paid political content. The provision follows criticism of billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer, a candidate in the recent race to succeed Newsom, who paid content creators to promote him without proper disclosure, prompting accusations that he was trying to buy the election.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said the state was rising to the moment and expressed confidence in its commitment to protecting democracy, following repeated, unsubstantiated claims from the Trump administration that the slow vote-counting process in the state's 2026 primaries indicated an attempt to manipulate results.