Newsom Marks Independence Day by Announcing Bill to Make Seizing Ballots Before Certification a Felony
The Office of the Governor of California in Sacramento released Governor Gavin Newsom's Fourth of July message on July 4, 2026. Speaking as Americans marked the 250th year of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Newsom announced that he is working with the Legislature on new legislation that would make it a felony to seize ballots before election results are certified.
In the message, Newsom called for a declaration of election independence and said California would use its laws to protect voting and counting from interference. He said anyone who interferes with California voters or ballots would be prosecuted under state law, regardless of who gave the order, and he pointed to voters' approval of Proposition 50 last November, which put new congressional maps in place.
In an accompanying essay, Newsom wrote that 250 years ago in Philadelphia, 56 men adopted the Declaration's statement that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. He said Californians had answered at the polls last November and that American voters would go to the polls again in a few months.
Related: Trump Signs Proclamation Marking July 4 as the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
Source: Office of the Governor of California
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加州州长纽森在州长讲台前发表讲话（资料照片）。加州州长办公室摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: California Governor Gavin Newsom speaking at the governor's podium (file photo). Office of the Governor of California, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
