California Governor Gavin Newsome just signed 13 election protection bills to secure the Midterms. Governor Hochul should follow his lead to safeguard voters and their votes from interference by the Trump administration. It is as easy as signing her name. A voter protection bill, S4602B passed in the 2026 legislative session, is waiting for her signature.

This legislation offers a rapid response solution to natural or human-caused interruptions at polling sites. Intended to provide boards of election with procedures to extend voting hours by the amount of time of any disruption that exceeds an hour, it would eliminate slow-moving judicial intervention, now required.

Why are such measures needed when the key assumption in a Democracy is a citizen’s inviolable right to vote? Although each state has the constitutional right to set its own rules and procedures, President Trump has threatened this right. He believes he can make his own rules about how, when and, especially, who can vote—because he must win (even if he’s not on the ballot). His voter suppression tactics include accusations of fraud, denial of proven losses, threats of ballot seizures and National Guard mobilization, collusion with the USPS to withhold mail-in ballots, and the DOJ’s paid cadre of 1000 election observers heading to polls in swing states.

If the California governor can sign 13 bills to ensure fair elections, Governor Hochul can sign one. She should sign it immediately. And we should vote early to avoid interference.