Newsom to Deploy Election Lawyers to Monitor Key California House Races
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is sending nearly 1,000 trained volunteers, including more than 130 lawyers, to watch over voting in five of the state's most competitive congressional races ahead of next week's midterm elections.
The move comes as the Trump administration and House Republicans ramp up their own election monitoring efforts nationwide, setting up a high-stakes showdown over who keeps watch at the polls.
Who Is Being Deployed and Where
The volunteers will be stationed in California's 6th, 13th, 22nd, 45th and 48th congressional districts, according to The Hill, as reported by UA.NEWS. The group includes more than 800 election observers, 134 lawyers and 54 hotline operators.
They will begin work on Nov. 3, Election Day, and stay longer if needed. The governor's office said it also plans enhanced staffing shifts in those districts.
In a post on X directed at President Donald Trump, Newsom said he is sending lawyers to key districts to "protect every vote." In a press release, he stressed that being a federal employee does not give anyone the right to intimidate voters or interfere with elections.
Why Newsom Is Stepping In
The Justice Department plans to send 1,000 election monitors to all 50 states on Election Day, more than double the 388 it sent during the 2022 midterms, PBS NewsHour reported. For the first time, prosecutors will serve as monitors.
A senior Justice Department official said the monitors are "not out there checking citizenship status before people go to the polls" and that their job is to observe and report. But some state officials have raised concerns that the monitors could intimidate voters.
Reactions have split largely along party lines. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, called the Justice Department "hostile" to free and fair elections. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican, downplayed the move, saying monitors will be "looking from afar" and that even one monitor in his state is "overkill."
California has also been fighting the Trump administration in court over its ballots. The Ninth Circuit recently rejected a federal attempt to set aside more than 20,000 ballots without first getting a district court order, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office. The administration had claimed the ballots were likely cast by noncitizens.
New State Laws on Ballot Security
Newsom has signed several laws aimed at protecting California's elections. In May, he signed Senate Bill 73, which bars law enforcement from accessing or taking voting technology without a court order and makes it a crime to take cast ballots from election officials' custody. The bill gained momentum after Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco seized more than 600,000 ballots.
"It's a warning to the folks out there that think they can do the bidding of the Trump administration," Newsom said at the time.
In September, he signed another package increasing penalties for people involved in unlawfully removing ballots.
Republicans Ramp Up Their Own Monitoring
House Republicans are launching what Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., chair of the Committee on House Administration, called "the most robust program the House has ever done," sending "dozens and dozens" of staff to observe polling places and ballot counting nationwide.
Steil has criticized California for counting mail ballots that arrive after Election Day, saying the state "has bad election policy." In July, the Supreme Court ruled that states can count mail ballots that arrive after Election Day.
Trump has called California's elections corrupt, but said this week he would recognize the results if the election is fair. Polls suggest many voters remain skeptical, with 70% of voters doubting he will accept midterm losses.
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