Legislation aims to protect California voters from federal interference, voter intimidation and threats to election integrity

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Today, Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced the launch of Hands Off Our Elections, a new initiative aimed at protecting California voters and defending the state’s authority to administer free, fair, and secure elections.

Hands Off Our Elections is a statewide call to action and a response to growing threats facing California’s democratic process. From attacks on constitutional term limits to threats of federal interference and voter intimidation at polling places, California’s elections are facing unprecedented challenges.

“California is facing serious threats to the integrity of our elections, and we will not treat those threats as idle or theoretical,” said Senator Umberg. “When Donald Trump says he intends to do something, I believe him. We need to take proactive steps now to safeguard voters and preserve confidence in the electoral process. This Hands Off Our Elections initiative does exactly that, by reinforcing California’s constitutional right and responsibility to run our own safe and secure elections.”

Hands Off Our Elections: Key Legislation

SB 884: Protect Our Polls Act strengthens protections at the ballot box by preventing voter intimidation, limiting unlawful federal interference in election administration, and expanding access to safe and secure voting opportunities.

SB 46: No Kings Act empowers the California Secretary of State to exclude presidential candidates from the ballot if they are constitutionally ineligible to serve, including any candidate seeking an unconstitutional third term.

“California stands at the vanguard of American democracy, and the League of Women Voters will never stop fighting to protect what we have built here in California.“ said Dora Rose, Deputy Director, League of Women Voters of California. “We protect it by standing alongside Senator Umberg and other members of the Legislature with bills like SB 884. California's elections belong to California's voters. So let's send a message loud and clear that the Oval Office can hear us: Hands Off Our Elections.”

“Today, we live in an America where the President of the United States and his acolytes across the country are continuing the same exact messaging that my family grew up with in Alabama: that voting needs to be tested, it needs to be constrained, and that we need to stop others from engaging. That's not the California I want to live in. That's not the America I want to live in.” said Darius Kemp, Executive Director, California Common Cause. “And that's why the bills Senator Umberg has put forward are so important to maintaining California's leadership as one of the fairest states in which to vote.”

Both SB 884 and 46 have advanced out of their house of origin and are scheduled to be heard in the Assembly later this month.

To learn more about the initiative, visit Hands Off Our Elections.

To watch the press conference, visit here.

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 Senator Thomas J. Umberg represents the 34th Senate District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, and East and South Whittier. Umberg is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, former federal prosecutor, and small businessman. He and his wife, Brigadier General Robin Umberg, USA (ret.), live in Orange County.