The Overview
On Sept. 19, 2026, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed Assembly Bill 282, making it a felony punishable by up to three years in prison to seize ballots, election records, or certified voting technology before results are certified. In January, FBI agents seized hundreds of boxes of ballots and election documents from a Fulton County, Georgia, warehouse, including materials related to the 2020 election, and the episode drew renewed attention to disputes over election-fraud claims and the handling of election records, The Associated Press reported. The law took effect immediately as an urgency statute.
What the Law Does
The law makes it a felony, punishable by up to three years in prison, to seize or help seize ballots, election records, or certified voting technology before an elections official certifies the results. Anyone with supervisory authority who directs such a seizure faces up to four years.
Under existing California law, a county elections official must submit a certified statement of results to the county board of supervisors within 30 days of an election, and a new law makes it a felony to seize ballots, election records, or certified voting technology before the official certifies the results.
Legislative Status
Asm. Gail Pellerin (D-CA-28) sponsored the bill, with Laird as principal coauthor and Haney, Lee, and Quirk-Silva as coauthors.
The Assembly passed the bill May 8, 2025, 53 yes to 13 no. The bill then sat on the Senate inactive file for about 347 days before lawmakers revived it. The Senate passed it Aug. 28, 2026, 29 yes to 10 no.
Pellerin said the law is meant to protect the counting process across party lines: "AB 282 helps ensure that every lawfully cast vote can be counted, and that the will of the voters of every political party will be respected," she told the Los Angeles Times.
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