Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 73 by Senator Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) into law to provide elections in California with improved defenses against interference. Because SB 73 included an urgency clause, its provisions took effect immediately upon the Governor’s signature, ensuring the defenses it provides were in place for the June 2nd statewide primary election.

“Senate Bill 73 is a direct response to efforts by the Trump Administration and local electeds to dismantle our democracy piece by piece,” said Senator Cervantes. “The enactment of SB 73 protects Californians’ sacred right to vote free from fear of intimidation or interference and safeguards the essential integrity of elections in California. I want to thank Governor Newsom and my Democratic colleagues in the Legislature, especially Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, for their partnership in defending democracy in our Golden State.”

Senate Bill 73, a follow-up to Senate Bill 851 (Cervantes), which Governor Newsom signed into law last year, protects California elections as follows:

• Empowers the Attorney General or Secretary of State to object to authorizations by county registrars to have law enforcement officers—including federal officials—posted or deployed at voting locations or county elections offices
• Prohibits individuals from giving law enforcement—including federal law enforcement—access to voting machines or voter rolls without a court order
• Protects the chain of custody of voted ballots after the certification of election results by making it a felony to take ballots from the custody of a county registrar

These additional protections are essential to safeguarding democracy and protecting the integrity of California’s elections. In March, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco took the unprecedented step of seizing more than 600,000 voted ballots from the November 2025 special election on Proposition 50 from the Riverside County Registrar of Voters. The ballots were taken from the office of the county’s Registrar of Voters and moved to an undisclosed location. Although the California Supreme Court ordered a stop to the investigation into the November special election, the ballots seized can no longer be used in potential future investigations or audits because the chain of custody was broken. This incident underscores the importance of strengthening protections for California’s election systems.

In January, the New York Times published an interview with President Trump in which he expressed regret at not ordering the National Guard to seize voting machines in the days after the 2020 presidential election. In February, Steve Bannon—an ally of President Trump—declared that the President would deploy ICE to polling places across the country during the midterm elections. In recent months, the FBI executed a search warrant on the elections office in Fulton County, Georgia and issued a subpoena on Maricopa County, Arizona elections officials seeking ballots and other records from the 2020 presidential election. In June of last year, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the Orange County Registrar of Voters for refusing to turn over their voter rolls to the federal government. The threats to democratic institutions are not abstract. They are real and demand urgent attention.

“In California, we remain committed to upholding fair, inclusive, and accessible elections for all eligible voters in our state to ensure they can participate in our democratic process. This bill protects California eligible voters from deliberate and inappropriate intimidation by any entity as eligible voters exercise their right to vote and ensures all ballots are counted fairly and transparently. The California Legislature is dedicated to defend our democracy and Senate Bill 73 advances that commitment,” said Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón.

“The Legislature will continue to do everything in our power to protect California’s democratic process,” said Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas. “We will always defend the rights of voters, reject every attempt at intimidation or suppression, and uphold the integrity of our elections. The Assembly and Senate stand united, because safeguarding democracy isn’t optional. It’s our oath.”