California Gov. Gavin Newsom attends the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in John Lewis Plaza on June 18, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Angelica Moser
12:09 PM – Tuesday, July 7, 2026

California Governor Gavin Newsom is advancing new legislation that would make it a felony to seize ballots.

In a recorded message released to X on Monday, Newsom stated that California would be “the wall” President Donald Trump “cannot get past” by pledging to prosecute anyone who interferes with voters or tampers with ballots, regardless of who issued the order.

The proposal follows high-profile election disputes, including a raid conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI), where they seized ballot boxes in Fulton County, Georgia after President Trump alleged fraud in the 2020 election.

The proposal also comes after Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election, an independent effort to conduct a separate fraud investigation. The probe that has since been paused by the California Supreme Court.   

 

“Because we believe once an election is decided, the winner governs for everyone,” Newsom stated. “That’s the architecture of American Liberty.”

>>@CAGovernor Gavin Newsom: We are moving forward with new legislation that would make it a felony to seize ballots before the vote has been certified by state and county officials…we will be the wall he cannot get passed. pic.twitter.com/0YZKzL0pFl

— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) July 6, 2026

The newly proposed felony measure is expected to move quickly through California legislature for formal debate and voting.  

 

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