With a recorded speech timed for the Fourth of July, Newsom says California will be the “wall” Trump cannot get past.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Governor Gavin Newsom is preparing to unveil a new election security proposal on the Fourth of July that would make a certain type of election interference a felony, framing the move as a response to growing national tensions over voting integrity.

Newsom’s office previewed Friday that the governor and Democratic Legislature are working on legislation to make the seizure of ballots before the certification of election results a felony. 



This story continues below.

Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, a Democrat and chair of the Assembly Election Committee, described the effort as “having a declaration of election independence.” State Senator Tom Umberg, also a Democrat and member of the Senate Election Committee, said Democrats believe President Donald Trump when he says he will interfere with California elections.

Newsom, in excerpts of the pre-recorded speech provided by his office, said anyone who interferes with voters or tampers with ballots would be prosecuted regardless of who issued the order.

“If you violate California’s laws, if you interfere with our voters, tamper with our ballots, or meddle in our election, you will be prosecuted. It does not matter who gave the order,” the governor says.

The initiative is partly tied to national and state-level incidents, including the FBI’s seizure of ballots in Fulton County, Georgia, following President Trump’s allegations the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. Investigations by state and federal officials have found no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

And there is the ongoing controversy in California involving Riverside County Sheriff and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco, who faced criticism after seizing more than 650,000 ballots from the November 2025 statewide special election on Proposition 50. His investigation into alleged fraud has since been paused by the California Supreme Court.

Voting expert Mindy Romero with the USC Center for Inclusive Democracy, said concerns about election trust are widespread, but emphasized that there is no evidence of significant voter fraud in California. She also pointed to slow ballot counting as a frequent source of misinformation, noting that more than 90% of voters in many elections use vote-by-mail ballots, which take time to process.

“You certainly don’t need anyone outside election officials touching those ballots, interfering with the chain of custody, with all the procedures that we here in California have carefully put in place over the years,” Romero noted.

Most recently, after California’s June primary, President Trump accused Democrats without evidence of attempting to “steal” state races, pointing to the lengthy tabulation process for mail-in ballots.

Sen. Umberg said counties vary in resources and priorities, adding that accuracy outweighs speed in counting votes.

“I’m much more concerned about us getting it right than I am us doing it quicker,” Umberg said.

The final state budget included more than $40 million for election administration, which Pellerin said is necessary after years of underfunding.

The story comes as election law continues to evolve nationally. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day but received days later to still be counted. In California, mail ballots can be received up to seven days after Election Day.

“For those that may be feeling really frustrated about the state of our democracy right now – and understandably so – participation is how we get to the other side,” Romero said of the importance of the democratic process as America celebrates its 250th anniversary.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on this new legislative proposal. 

California AG seeks to stop sheriff’s seizure of 600,000 ballots