The governor's office released a letter from Gov. to the chief district judges for California’s four federal districts warning that federal agents may seek search warrants to seize ballots, election records or certified voting equipment while the election is underway and before results are certified.
The letter cites recent actions by the U.S. Department of Justice and related public statements as the basis for concern; it specifically references letters from Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter to state and local election officials, social-media posts by Bilal Essayli threatening criminal prosecution of election workers, and federal grand jury subpoenas issued to Los Angeles County election staff.
Newsom argues California’s chain-of-custody, documentation and retention laws already preserve any evidence tied to ballots and ballot materials and that there is therefore no legitimate law-enforcement reason to seize the items needed to process and tabulate votes; the letter says the only reason to do so would be to interfere with a lawful count and certification.
The governor enclosed a UC Berkeley Edley Center on Law & Democracy resource, Questions for Assessing A Search Warrant for Election Materials (September 2026), for magistrate and district judges to use between now and when California’s election results are certified on Dec. 11, 2026.
Newsom wrote he has "grave concerns" federal agents will seek warrants, and warned the department may pivot to criminal investigations after losing in federal civil cases; the letter also repeats reported concerns that such tactics could be used to try to prevent certification of results.
The release says the governor is not aware of any warrant applications currently pending in those courts. The full letter and the enclosed UC Berkeley guide are linked in the governor’s release.
State
Gavin Newsom
Governor · Democrat
Named 5 times in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
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