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SB 73 was introduced Jan 15th 2025 by state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, D-Riverside and Tom Umberg of northern Orange County. The bill was passed May 26th and subsequently signed by Governor Newsom on May 27th. Bill History - SB-73 Elections.
SB 73 strengthens California law by
- Prohibiting any person from providing unauthorized access, disruption, modification, or seizure of voter rolls, voter lists, or certified voting technology to law enforcement agents — including federal agents — absent a court order or investigation into specific violations of California election law.
- Restricting peace officers from interfering with election administration or disrupting election workers carrying out their duties, except in urgent public safety emergencies.
- Requiring the California Department of Justice to issue guidance to county election officials on how to respond to requests from law enforcement seeking access to areas where ballots are cast, processed, or handled.
- Increasing protections against illegal removal or seizure of voted ballots and establishing criminal penalties for knowingly taking ballots from election officials.
The legislation also makes it a crime — punishable by a $1,000 fine, imprisonment for up to three years, or by both — for a person to knowingly take a package containing voted ballots from the custody of elections officials.
However, the legislation would not have changed the process by which Sheriff Biano's investigators utilized search warrants signed by a judge in Feb/March 2026 and confiscated ballots cast by Riverside County voters in November 2025.
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