Gavin Newsom Preens, Pontificates, Then Signs Election Interference Laws, Because 'Trump'!

California Governor Gavin Newsom is a performative popinjay like no other, and on Saturday he decided to preen and fluff his feathers over his signing of 13 purported "election integrity," bills into law. One of those new laws would make it a felony to seize or interfere with the chain of custody of ballots before they are certified. This is in direct opposition to the Trump administration deploying election observers to the polls in certain states for the November midterms, and forcing the purging of illegal aliens from state voter rolls. Purges that are, of course, being resisted by Newsom and other blue state governors.

But Trump is the dictator who is trying to control elections.

At the Democracy Center, where federal agents last year sought to politically intimidate California officials and the broader Los Angeles community, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed a package of bills to protect elections in California from interference and political meddling, including creating new felonies for those who do so. 

This election-protection package fulfills his promise from July 4, when, as part of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence, he pledged to defend and protect the ballot against political interference, particularly from the Trump Administration’s relentless efforts to destroy the right to vote for millions of Californians.

“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. We have no bigger task than fighting to protect the right to vote from interference and meddling – the future of democracy is on the line. These bills today build upon the wall California has built to safeguard our electoral process.”

California WILL protect our elections.

I just signed legislation to make it A FELONY to illegally seize or interfere with ballots before elections are certified.

When it comes to our elections, California is not messing around. pic.twitter.com/pYC0E7gydQ

— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) September 19, 2026

Governor Popinjay even made a video at the Los Angeles Democracy Center to talk about how hard he's working to protect Californians' vote. Theater... always theater.

WATCH:

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! pic.twitter.com/QPLAJPqb9R

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 19, 2026

Hair Gel wasn't concerned about election integrity in 2015, when former CA Governor Jerry Brown signed the egregious motor-voter law. Now, anyone who applies online for a driver's license is automatically registered to vote, whether they are a U.S. citizen or not. Having renewed my license more than once online when I lived in California, you literally have to scroll down to the bottom in order to find the option, in very small print, that allows you to opt-out of motor-voter registration. 

If you don't know to do this, or fail to do this, you are automatically registered to vote in elections. If Newsom were so concerned about shoring up election integrity, he could have rescinded this law eight years ago. But he hasn't bothered because this is how the Democrat supermajority legally cheats. 

First Assistant United States District Attorney Bill Essayli discussed this with Bill Melugin on Fox News' America's Newsroom. Essayli affirmed that because California doesn't bother to clean up its voter rolls, anyone who is illegally registered can stay on the rolls forever. This keeps the door wide open for illegal alien vote fraudsters like Darwin Rivera Flores to vote in elections, or U.S. citizens like James Brass to pay the homeless to register to vote, instruct them on who to vote for, then collect their ballots in order to use them for that convenient moment when the boxes need to be stuffed for the preferred candidate. 

WATCH:

California does NOT check if you’re a citizen when you register to vote. It’s based on the honor system. This allows people like this defendant to easily register to vote and participate in our elections. According to @CASOSVote, approx. 400k registered to vote without providing…

— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) August 31, 2026

California does NOT check if you’re a citizen when you register to vote. It’s based on the honor system. This allows people like this defendant to easily register to vote and participate in our elections. According to @CASOSVote, approx. 400k registered to vote without providing any identification records.

This is the tip of the iceberg. More arrests are coming. 

Newsom had no problem trashing the California constitution and the will of the voters by tossing out the maps drawn up by California's independent redistricting commission, creating his own maps to eliminate Republican districts ahead of the 2026 midterms. He then slammed it through via a ballot initiative. Of course, Prop 36, the Voter ID initiative, made it to the ballot. So what did Newsom do? He directed his sock puppet, CA Attorney General Rob Bonta, to modify the language to make it deliberately deceptive and confusing. 

But he's the champion for free and fair elections.

Sure, Jan.

In response to Newsom's X post crowing about signing these bills, Essayli responded. His X post is the perfect pin prick to deflate Newsom's puffery.

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… https://t.co/3klsBGRhaE

— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) September 19, 2026

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.

With 45 days to the midterms, the DOJ and the FBI are kicking butt and taking names as they work to secure November against the obstruction and trickery of Newsom and his fellow travelers in the Democrat Party.

CASE UPDATE: Six Charged in California, Kansas, and Louisiana for Illegally Voting, Fraudulent Voter Registration, and Identity Fraud

Read more about how the FBI is using all available resources to protect election integrity for the American people. https://t.co/zkNrAPWrxy pic.twitter.com/p1x2tNIHd9

— FBI (@FBI) September 14, 2026

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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