California Governor Gavin Newsom plans to use his July 4 address to the state to unveil a proposal that would make it a felony to seize ballots, an initiative directly aimed at challenging former President Donald Trump's repeated claims of election fraud.
Newsom, whose speech excerpts were shared with the San Francisco Chronicle, is framing his address as a "declaration of election independence" from what he describes as "manipulators and deniers" and "Trump’s schemes."
"The core of our democracy, the thing that separates us from a monarchy or a dictatorship, is the fundamental right to vote," Newsom is set to say. "If we lose that, we lose everything. On America’s 250th birthday, we need a declaration of election independence — a proclamation of freedom from the manipulators and deniers, from the threat of imprisonment for refusing to go along with Trump’s schemes."
The governor's office indicated the speech would convey a message to anyone considering interfering with California's elections or vote count. "If you violate California’s laws, if you interfere with our voters, tamper with our ballots or meddle in our election, you will be prosecuted," Newsom plans to state.
This announcement follows incidents such as Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who ran as a Republican, seizing ballots in his county to investigate the 2024 election.
Trump has previously criticized California's vote-counting processes, particularly its handling of mail-in ballots, labeling the system as "crooked" when results shifted significantly after Election Day. He has also targeted the state's mail voting system.
Newsom's speech, recorded at the governor's mansion, is scheduled for release on Saturday at noon. The governor's office had teased the address on Friday, urging people to tune in. The speech appears to be positioned as a counterpoint to Trump's planned July Fourth event in Washington D.C., which is set to include fireworks and military flyovers to commemorate the nation's 250th birthday. Newsom's office has been critical of Trump's planned address, posting on X that it was a "Long speech, small crowd..."