Gavin Newsom Signs Bill Blocking Ballot Seizures By Law Enforcement

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law Wednesday that immediately restricts law enforcement officers from seizing ballots or election equipment from county election officials. Does this bill protect and secure the voice of California voters, or infringe upon legitimate concerns over election integrity?

Voting Irregularities: California State Assembly member Carl DeMaio (R) representing District 75 posted images on X showing two ballots that were sent to a Riverside County resident—each with a unique voter number. DeMaio said this is "Just more evidence to show California's voter rolls are a complete mess! THIS is why we need Voter ID!" The New York Post (Lean Right bias) framed the new bill signed by Newsom around DeMaio's claims of "voting irregularities," saying that critics "seized on the post as further evidence of what they describe as systemic weaknesses in the state's election administration, including outdated voter registration records and the risk of duplicate mailings going undetected by voters or officials." Many outlets on the left did not mention duplicate ballot claims in their coverage.

"Unprecedented Seizure": Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco seized more than 600,000 ballots from the county registrar's office during an investigation of potential voter fraud. Many outlets on the left, like the San Francisco Chronicle (Left) and the New York Times (Lean Left) highlighted this seizure in coverage, with the Chronicle calling the seizure "unprecedented" and saying the new legislation was "Bianco-inspired." The New York Times also framed the legislation as an effort to "block Trump involvement in election procedures" following what the article called "unusual steps" taken in the last year by federal officials and local sheriffs to seize ballots. The article also said that Newsom's "popularity has soared as he's taken a more combative stance against President Trump," and highlighted Trump's "attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss, restrict mail balloting and gain access to voting rolls in Democratic-controlled states."

The New Law: Senate Bill 73, now considered law after Newsom's signing on Wednesday, "makes it a felony for anyone, including law enforcement officials, to seize ballots from a county elections office, punishable by up to three years in prison and a $1,000 fine and subject to civil injunctions and penalties." It also deems it illegal for law enforcement to take custody of voter rolls or equipment without a signed warrant. The San Francisco Chronicle highlighted commentary from Sen. Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), who introduced the legislation and said it was inspired by Bianco's "sham investigation driven by conservative extremist groups." The New York Post included remarks from Trump saying "You have a really rigged vote in California," adding that it is "very hard to win because the elections are very dishonest."

Related: A California woman was recently charged for paying people, including the homeless, to vote.

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