Gavin Newsom signs bill, spurred by Chad Bianco, to block ballot seizures by law enforcement

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a new law Wednesday that bans anyone — including federal or local law enforcement — from unlawfully seizing ballots, voter rolls, or other election materials.

The new law, signed six days before the state’s primary election, is a direct response to Riverside County Sheriff and GOP gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco, who seized more than 650,000 ballots cast in California’s recent redistricting referendum. Bianco was acting on bogus election fraud claims pushed by anti-voting activists when he ordered his office in February to seize the ballots for an investigation.

The law makes it a felony for anyone — including law enforcement — to seize ballots from any California county elections office. Such a violation is now punishable by up to three years in prison and a $1,000 fine.

“California will not allow our elections to be commandeered by political intimidation, abuse of power, or chaotic interference from extremists chasing conspiracy theories,” Newsom said in a statement. “This law protects voters, election workers, and the integrity of the democratic process from election-deniers who want to undermine democracy.” 

The new law also bans “any person from providing unauthorized access, disruption, modification, or seizure of voter rolls, voter lists, or certified voting technology to law enforcement agents — including federal agents — absent a court order or investigation into specific violations of California election law.”

“This landmark law erects essential barriers against unauthorized federal access to voting systems, voter rolls, and polling places – protections that are more vital now than ever,” Dora Rose, deputy director of the League of Women Voters of California, added in a statement. “This is just the first of several critical steps needed to secure this year’s elections and ensure our democracy is truly democratic. We cannot rest while threats to our voting rights persist. Every safeguard matters. Every defense counts.”

Bianco, who’s running in the hotly contested gubernatorial election, has a long history of anti-voting rhetoric. Democracy Docket exclusively reported on Bianco’s extreme past social media comments promoting false claims that elections are rigged and conspiracy theories about noncitizen voters. 

He was also previously a member of the far-right extremist group the Oath Keepers, which played a key role in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. 

At a recent gubernatorial debate, Democratic candidate Antonio Villaraigosa called out the Riverside sheriff for his ties to the extremist group. Bianco said he was “very proud” of his ties to the group. 

“Everybody that wants to, again, lie and get emotionally all spun up about the Oath Keeper organization,” Bianco said. “Before you do that, and I know none of you have, I want you to go read the mission statement, the Oath Keeper mission statement.”