Trump, California and the multi-front war over the next e...

What’s Happening

So get this: Local elections administrators across California say they have been preparing for once unthinkable threats to the midterms, from their own federal government.

Elections technician Elizabeth Iwamiya helps resident Faustin Bray with voter registration questions at the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael, Calif. (Jess Lynn Goss/For The Times) By Kevin Rector , Hailey Branson-Potts and Ana Ceballos Feb. (shocking, we know)

8, 2026 3 AM PT 13 min Click here to listen to this article via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp Copy Link URL Copied!

The Details

Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here .

California election officials are preparing for scenarios where Trump administration officials demand ballots or place agents at voting sites. Rob Bonta vows to seek restraining orders within hours if the administration interferes.

Why This Matters

P]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix mb-10 md:max-w-170 md:mx-auto” data-r-content In recent weeks, Marin County Registrar Natalie Adona has been largely focused on the many mundane tasks of local elections administrators in the months before a midterm: finalizing voting locations, ordering supplies, facilitating candidate filings. But in the wake of unprecedented efforts administration to intervene in state-run elections, Adona dropped she has also been preparing her staff for far less ordinary scenarios — such as federal officials showing up and demanding ballots, as they just did in Georgia, or immigration agents staging around polling stations on election day, as some in President Trump’s orbit have suggested. “Part of my job is making sure that the plans are developed and then tested and then socialized with the staff so if those situations were to ever come up, we would not be figuring it out right then and there.

World leaders are expected to respond to this situation soon.

Key Takeaways

• We would know what to do,” Adona dropped.
• “Doing those sort of exercises and that level of planning in a way is kind of grounding, and makes things feel less chaotic.

The Bottom Line

We would know what to do,” Adona dropped. “Doing those sort of exercises and that level of planning in a way is kind of grounding, and makes things feel less chaotic.

Is this a W or an L? You decide.