California governor signs 13 bills to protect elections from federal interference

LOS ANGELES -- California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed a package of 13 bills aimed at protecting the state's November midterm elections from interference, including measures concerning mail voting and demands for voter data, according to his office.

Midterms are congressional elections held midway between presidential elections. In the United States, state law primarily governs election procedures, while federal law sets nationwide standards, according to the Election Assistance Commission.

Among the measures, Assembly Bill 282 makes it a felony to seize ballots, election records or certified voting technology before election results are certified, while Senate Bill 259 makes it a felony for an authority figure to direct someone to interfere with the delivery or return of a mail-in ballot. Assembly Bill 1664 requires local agencies and election officials to promptly notify the state of specified law-enforcement actions involving election records or certified voting technology.

The legislation comes amid a dispute between California and the Trump administration over federal election policies. Trump issued an executive order in March directing federal agencies to provide states with lists of confirmed citizens of voting age and directing the US Postal Service to begin rule-making on standards for mail-in and absentee ballots. California and other states challenged the order in federal court.

The Supreme Court later rejected the request and blocked it from enforcing new restrictions on mail-in ballots ahead of the November midterm elections. California has also resisted federal demands for statewide voter-registration data.

Newsom, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta said the package would protect against federal interference in state election administration.

"This legislative package ensures that California voters will not be silenced or intimidated," Weber said in a statement. Newsom also noted that "These bills today build upon the wall California has built to safeguard our electoral process."