In an election year with the Trump administration’s widespread crackdown on immigration enforcement in the backdrop, a pair of California lawmakers are looking to shore up protections for voters.
That’s the idea, at least, behind a new package of bills from Sens. Tom Umberg and Sabrina Cervantes, both Democrats, that would increase the number of vote centers counties would provide for elections, starting with the general election this fall, and the length of time they’d be available to voters.
Senate Bill 884 would also prohibit enforcing federal immigration laws within 200 feet of voting locations and allow county elections officials to keep polls open longer if it’s been determined that a prohibited immigration enforcement operation disrupted voting at the polling place.
The other bill in the Democratic duo’s package, Senate Bill 73, would require a court order for a federal government agency or employee to inspect a voting machine or device.
“California has both the constitutional right and responsibility to run our own safe and secure elections, and we intend to do exactly that,” said Umberg, a Santa Ana Democrat. “We will protect our voters, defend local control and uphold our democracy regardless of whether the federal government chooses to respect those principles.”
The changes to the voter centers would be in place for the 2026 and 2028 elections, albeit not the upcoming June primary.
“Our state is facing serious threats from the Trump administration,” Umberg said, “and we will not treat them as idle or theoretical.”
A White House spokesperson responded Tuesday when asked about the pair of bills.
“President (Donald) Trump is committed to ensuring that Americans have full confidence in the administration of elections, and that includes totally accurate and up-to-date voter rolls free of errors and unlawfully registered noncitizen voters,” said Abigail Jackson, the spokesperson.
The Trump administration, she said, is already working with states to clean voter rolls to protect election integrity. Jackson also said federal law already mandates states comply with federal election laws.
Trump has called for Republicans to “nationalize” elections in the U.S.
“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take it over,’” Trump said on a podcast in early February. He said they should take over the voting in “at least as many” as 15 places, although he did not specify where.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said the president was referring to the SAVE Act, federal legislation being debated by lawmakers in Washington that would impose strict new proof of citizenship requirements on voters ahead of the midterm elections. Yet, still, the president’s comments have concerned elections officials on both sides of the aisle.
The U.S. Constitution, meanwhile, places the responsibility on individual states to run their elections.
Umberg, though, pointed to his time as a federal prosecutor based in Orange County in 1988 when he dealt with reports that civilians dressed as uniformed guards stood outside polling places in Santa Ana holding signs in English and Spanish that read, “non-citizens can’t vote.” The incident set off an FBI probe into voter intimidation and it also sparked Umberg’s political career.
“Voter intimidation is not hypothetical to me,” said Umberg, who is in his final year in the California Legislature.
Umberg, chair of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, has also authored legislation that would allow the California secretary of state to exclude presidential candidates from the ballot if they are constitutionally ineligible, specifically barring them from seeking a third term. Trump has at times teased a potential attempt at a third term, but he has also said “it’s pretty clear” that he is not allowed to run again.
This bill passed the Senate without any Republican support and is awaiting action in the Assembly.
And Cervantes, from Riverside, was behind a new law that restricts law enforcement, including federal agents, at polling places. That was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year and was born out of concerns about the increased presence of federal immigration officers in Southern California, including outside a Los Angeles news conference with the governor kicking off the redistricting special election, she said.
Meanwhile, there’s also a Republican-led effort in the California Legislature pertaining to elections and immigration.
From Sen. Steven Choi, R-Irvine, Senate Bill 1310 would require jury commissioners to coordinate with the California secretary of state and county elections officials if someone says they cannot participate in jury duty for reasons that could impact their ability to vote either at all or in a certain jurisdiction. That could be because of their citizenship status, or they moved to a new district or state.
The bill would require elections officials who receive this notice to inactivate that person’s voter registration and notify them so they could confirm their eligibility, if needed.
“Accurate voter rolls are fundamental to maintaining public trust in our elections,” Choi said.
“This commonsense measure ensures that information already being provided under penalty of perjury is used appropriately to keep our voter registration system up to date and reliable,” he added.
Choi’s bill has only recently been introduced and has not yet been referred to a committee.
Senate Bill 884, which would make changes to vote centers and prohibit nearby federal immigration enforcement, has been referred to the Senate Rules Committee, where it awaits a hearing.
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