California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation to ban law enforcement from interfering in elections ahead of that state’s primary next week. The bill, SB73, was authored after a California sheriff seized hundreds of thousands of ballots earlier this year.
The new law makes it a crime for law enforcement authorities to seize ballots from election officials. It also bans them from accessing voting equipment and lists without a court order. The law directs the California Department of Justice to give local election workers guidance on responding to law enforcement.
Newsom said the law strengthens election integrity amid challenges from local and federal officials.
“We have to clarify the rules of engagement. That's why this legislation is important,” said Newsom. “There are fines associated with this and jail time… three years.”
The fine for knowingly taking ballots is $1000.
In February, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican candidate for governor, seized 650-thousand ballots from a vote to redraw the state’s congressional map to favor Democrats. The he California Supreme Court halted the invesitgation after legal challenges from the state’s attorney general.