California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he signed multiple election bills that, in his words, make it a felony to seize ballots before state officials certify results. A federal prosecutor publicly countered that state laws cannot block U.S. Justice Department investigations.
Newsom’s claim and rationale
In a post on X dated Sept. 19, 2026, Newsom wrote: “I just signed new laws protecting your ballot and STOPPING Trump’s attacks on vote-by-mail — making it a felony to seize ballots or interfere with our elections. Trump can try all he wants. California WILL protect your right to vote!”
In a separate statement cited by The Gateway Pundit, Newsom said, “Donald Trump won’t stop until he can exert dictatorial control over your free vote and disenfranchise millions of people this November. California will stop him at every opportunity.”
What changes, per the Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times reported that seizing ballots under one of the new laws could be punishable by up to four years in prison. The Times also reported the bills expand early ballot drop-off locations and multilingual voting materials statewide.
Federal response
Bill Essayli, described as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, responded on X the same day: “Just so there’s no confusion, nothing a state governor signs can prevent @TheJusticeDept from conducting lawful investigations into voter fraud. We have started indicting election fraud in California. We will continue to investigate, arrest, and prosecute all violations of federal election laws.”
What we’re watching
Key details such as specific bill numbers, final statutory language, and implementation timelines were not provided in the cited posts. The claims about penalties and program expansions are attributed to the Los Angeles Times as referenced in the Gateway Pundit article.
