California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged the state’s four federal chief district judges to closely scrutinize any requests for search warrants seeking to seize election materials before results from November’s election are certified, saying such seizures would pose a risk “to election integrity.”
In a Saturday letter, Newsom argued that since California law already safeguards potential evidence of ballot related wrongdoing, there is “no legitimate law enforcement reason to seize ballots, ballot materials, and equipment needed to process and tabulate ballots.”
“Indeed, the only reason to do so would be to interfere in a State’s lawful counting of ballots and certifying the results of the election,” he said.
Newsom added that his plea is preemptive, as he is “unaware that there are any such matters at this time.” But he cited threats of prosecution from Justice Department officials against election workers who resist federal demands concerning ballots cast by alleged noncitizens.
A federal judge on Friday imposed an emergency order barring the Trump administration from threatening election officials with prosecutions and taking other actions that “threaten, intimidate or coerce” election officials to make changes in ballot processing procedures on claims that voters are ineligible. The DOJ has appealed the order.
