California Gov. Gavin Newsom/Image: AP
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed 13 bills aimed at strengthening election security, including measures targeting ballot interference, mail voting and undisclosed political content on social media. The legislation comes ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections and amid disputes between California and the Trump administration over election procedures, particularly the use of mail-in ballots. The measures follow an incident in Riverside County involving Sheriff Chad Bianco, who earlier this year took possession of more than 650,000 ballots from a 2025 redistricting special election while investigating a discrepancy in the vote count.
President Donald Trump has also repeatedly questioned California’s vote-counting process, claiming without evidence that delays were an attempt to manipulate election results. One of the new laws makes it a felony to seize ballots, election records or certified voting technology before election results have been certified. It also applies to people who use their authority to direct someone else to carry out such a seizure. Another measure makes it a felony for someone in a position of authority to direct another person to interfere with the delivery or return of a vote-by-mail ballot. A person responsible for handling a mail ballot who interferes with its delivery to a voter could face a misdemeanor charge. Mail voting is also covered by the package. One bill extends the hours for vote-by-mail drop-off locations, while another requires election officials to provide information about early voting and allows voters to submit mail ballots at polling locations. People paid by campaign committees to publish political content supporting or opposing candidates or ballot measures can face penalties if they fail to disclose that they are being paid.