Newsom warns Trump that California will send election lawyers to sites - USA Today
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that, to ensure the election's integrity, he will deploy statewide teams of election-law attorneys and poll watchers to monitor federal agents the Trump administration plans to place at polling locations.
In the lead-up to November's election, President Donald Trump and his administration have been meddling in California's election, with the Department of Justice filing a lawsuit against the state to set aside more than 20,000 ballots the government believes were sent to noncitizens, as well as the department announcing plans to deploy federal agents across the county to monitor elections.
"We see what he's doing on a daily basis to literally suppress the vote to set the conditions where he will then express doubt in the electoral outcome and suggest that it was rigged. That is table stakes," Newsom said during an appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Live Show.
However, Newsom warned the administration that his office would not allow federal agents to operate in the state without guardrails to protect the election. That's why his office and the California Democratic Party created new election integrity teams to counter concerns about federal agents' presence at polling locations.
"Right now I am focused on getting over a thousand poll workers, folks out there to monitor the DOJ monitors that Trump's going to send to try to steal this election," Newsom said.
"I can't believe we're doing this. That we have to do this. We're not screwing around. Nor is he, but we can't screw around."
The California Democratic Party created a multilingual voter-protection hotline where voters can report issues or request assistance at their local polling location. The party also created a statewide legal rapid-response ballot-curing assistance program to ensure eligible votes are counted. Voters can report issues by calling 1-877-321-VOTE (8683).
The state's election integrity teams will include more than 800 poll observers, 134 election law attorneys and 54 hotline operators, according to Newsom.
Newsom said attorneys and trained volunteers will be stationed at county election offices throughout the day and especially in "key congressional districts, including California District 6, District 13, District 22, District 45, and District 48, which were created as a result of Prop 50.
"Donald Trump doesn't get to decide which votes count, which ballots get counted, or who wins an election. California voters do. That's why the California Democratic Party is mobilizing volunteers, deploying voter protection teams and working around the clock to ensure every eligible Californian can cast their ballot, every legal vote is counted, and no one is denied their voice in our democracy," Rusty Hicks, California Democratic Party Chair, said in a statement.
Newsom also warned the federal government that a new state law makes it a felony to illegally seize ballots, election records, or tamper with voting technology as the state counts votes.
"A federal badge is not a license to intimidate voters or interfere with an election. We beat Trump's redistricting power grab. And if he tries to steal this election, we'll beat him again," Newsom said in a statement.
"We know what he's going to do on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday of next week. So, that's exactly why we're preparing. It's not a dress rehearsal. It's all on the line and we're drawing the line," he said during Kimmel's show.
Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at npadilla@usatodayco.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow us on Facebook at TODAY Californian.
