California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed into law two measures aimed at limiting the influence of wealthy donors in California elections and guarding against schemes designed to manipulate voter participation, including “election sweepstakes.”
The legislation follows concerns raised during the 2024 election cycle, when billionaire Elon Musk drew scrutiny for promoting a $1 million sweepstakes that critics said blurred the line between campaign activity and commercial promotion, fueling calls for stronger safeguards against election interference.
Newsom wrote on X, “Today, I’m signing legislation to safeguard our elections and the voice of every voter. It’s now illegal to use contests or payments to get people to register to vote. And in the 2026 election, voters have the chance to repeal our state’s ban on the public financing of elections.
In a separate post, he wrote, “Attempts by billionaires and outside actors to sway elections through unethical means undermine our democracy and civic participation. California will not sit idle as our democracy is attacked.”
This is a breaking news article. Updates to follow.
Read the full article here
