California lawmakers have introduced a bill that would prohibit federal immigration agents from being stationed within 200 feet of polling places, in response to concerns that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers could intimidate voters during the November midterm elections.
The legislation, introduced on Thursday by state senator Tom Umberg and co-authored by state senator Sabrina Cervantes, aims to safeguard voters from what Umberg described as “ruthless intimidation” near polling locations. The bill states that no person shall perform any act for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration laws within 200 feet of any polling place, county elections office, or location where ballots are being counted or certified.
The measure follows comments by Donald Trump earlier this month, in which he called for Republicans to “nationalise” and “take over” voting in at least 15 unspecified locations, repeating false claims of widespread election fraud. Umberg said the bill was about protecting lawful voters from intimidation, not about protecting fraudulent votes.
If approved by the legislature and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, the bill would also allow counties to open vote centres earlier, increase ballot drop boxes, and extend polling hours if immigration enforcement disrupts voting. In addition, buffer zones around voting sites where political activity is banned would be expanded from 100 feet to 200 feet.
The proposal comes after former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said on his War Room podcast that ICE would “surround the polls come November.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to guarantee that ICE agents would not be near polling locations, but said she had not heard President Trump discuss any formal plans to place ICE outside polling sites.
