Newsom Dispatches Legal Team to Monitor Vote Counting Amid Election Fraud Claims

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that he is deploying a legal team to monitor vote counting in key congressional districts across the state on Election Day. The move is intended to counter what Newsom described as attempts by the Trump administration to interfere with the election through claims of fraud.

Newsom's political team stated that attorneys specializing in election law will be stationed at county election offices to observe the counting process. "A federal badge is not a license to intimidate voters or interfere with an election," Newsom said in a statement. "We beat Trump’s redistricting power grab. And if he tries to steal this election, we’ll beat him again."

The deployment comes as the U.S. Department of Justice has pursued charges related to alleged noncitizen voting in California. This week, three individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with an investigation into more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens who allegedly registered to vote in the upcoming midterm elections.

The federal government had also sued California seeking to prevent election officials from counting ballots from these individuals. However, a federal court rejected the Department of Justice's emergency request, though a notice of appeal has been filed.

Attorneys will be present in the 6th, 13th, 22nd, 45th, and 48th congressional districts, according to Newsom's office. The 22nd district is currently considered a toss-up by The Cook Political Report. Given California's history of prolonged ballot counting, which can extend for days or weeks, the legal team may remain in place beyond Election Day.

In addition to the governor's legal deployment, the California Democratic Party is mobilizing nearly 1,000 volunteers, including over 800 poll observers, 134 attorneys, and 54 hotline operators. "Donald Trump doesn’t get to decide which votes count, which ballots get counted, or who wins an election. California voters do," stated California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks.

Newsom also cited a new state law that makes it a felony for anyone, including federal agents, to seize ballots before election results are certified. This law was enacted following an incident in March where Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco seized over 650,000 ballots during an investigation, drawing criticism from Democrats. Newsom characterized the deployment of his legal team as "a warning to Donald Trump" against similar actions.