Nearly a year after the Trump administration’s mass-scale immigration crackdown first took hold in Los Angeles, the thought of encountering an immigration agent remains a concern for some — including voters who wonder if it would be safe to cast ballots in person during California’s upcoming primary election.
State law prohibits voter intimidation, and federal laws prohibit sending troops or armed personnel to a polling location, according to election officials. Still, across Southern California, some continue to fear running into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at or near voting sites.
“Yes, by definition, if you’re showing up to vote, you’re an American citizen. But because of the way the (Trump) administration has been conducting raids, it’s not unreasonable for Latinos to think that they would get caught up in an immigration dragnet” even if they are in the country legally, said Christian Arana, vice president of civic power and policy for the California-based Latino Community Foundation.
A poll his organization commissioned in September found that 66% of the 1,200 registered Latino voters in California who were surveyed had concerns about encountering an immigration enforcement action at a polling location during the 2025 special statewide election. That included 68% of those polled in Los Angeles County, 70% of those surveyed in the San Diego/Orange County region and 57% of respondents in the Inland Empire.
Arana said he suspects the percentage would be higher if another poll were conducted today, given comments that President Donald Trump, his allies or members of his administration have made in recent months.
Earlier this year, Steve Bannon, a Trump ally, suggested sending ICE officials and military personnel to voting locations for the midterm elections.
Asked if there are plans to do so, the Trump administration on Friday, May 1, referred back to comments that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made in February, in which she said she couldn’t guarantee an ICE agent would not be around voting locations, but that she hadn’t heard Trump discuss any formal plans to place ICE agents outside such sites.
The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, pointed to a comment made by Secretary Markwayne Mullin during his Senate confirmation hearing in March, in which he said, “The only reason why my officers would be there is if there was a specific threat for them to be there, not for intimidation.”
Still, officials in Democratic-led states, such as California, worry about how things might play out in this year’s elections, given Trump’s continued unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud and after the FBI seized ballots from the 2020 presidential election out of a Fulton County, Georgia, warehouse in January.
What the law says
The California secretary of state’s office said state law limits law enforcement activity at or near voting locations and federal law “prohibits the deployment of troops or armed persons to a polling place.” Federal law also prohibits “armed forces from interfering with an election through intimidation, threats or by force,” the office said.
“To assist counties, we have created a reporting system that allows them to immediately report incidents of voter intimidation, disruption, or unauthorized challenges,” the office said.
“We are dedicated to combatting any force that seeks to disenfranchise those wishing to exercise their right to vote,” it added.
According to guidance the secretary of state’s office recently shared with local county election officials, it is a felony for someone to use force, violence, coercion or intimidation to compel another person to vote or refrain from voting.
This includes blocking access to voting locations, threatening criminal action against a voter, aggressively questioning a voter based on their race or gender identity, asking about their citizenship, telling voters they must speak English or present certain types of photo identification to vote or brandishing weapons.
It’s also a felony for someone to possess a firearm at a voting location or within its immediate vicinity. And it’s illegal for a uniformed peace officer, private guard or security personnel to be stationed at or in the immediate vicinity of a voting location without written authorization.
Local election offices prepare
Local election offices in L.A., Orange and Riverside counties report they have measures in place to maintain a safe and intimidation-free environment at voting locations.
“Our election workers are trained … to flag anything that could interfere with voting — whether that’s someone being disruptive, attempting to access restricted areas or creating an uncomfortable environment for voters,” Mike Sanchez, a spokesperson for the L.A. County registrar’s office, said in an email.
“If something does come up, it’s escalated immediately to the site leads and our central operations team to determine the appropriate next steps,” he added.
Orange County Registrar Bob Page said his department works closely with the county Sheriff’s Department and district attorney’s office, as well as other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to ensure voting sites are free of electioneering and intimidation.
“These relationships continue for the 2026 statewide direct primary election,” he said.
Specifically, Page said, his office makes sure law enforcement agencies are aware of all voting locations so they can respond quickly if there’s a disruption. Additionally, a sheriff’s deputy or sergeant is stationed in the registrar’s command center whenever vote centers are open to help triage any reports of disturbances, and investigators from the district attorney’s office are available to respond quickly to incidents of electioneering or voter intimidation.
Over in Riverside County, the registrar’s office considered “a range of operational scenarios” to protect the integrity of the election process and voter participation as part of its planning for the primary, said spokesperson Elizabeth Florer.
“We take steps to ensure voting locations remain safe and free from intimidation, and staff are trained to respond quickly to any disruptions to maintain smooth operations,” she said. “These efforts are part of our standard election planning, and we continuously review our procedures.”
The San Bernardino County registrar’s office did not respond to a message seeking comment for this article.
While local election officials take steps aimed at making voters feel safe voting in person, for those who still don’t feel comfortable, there is always the option of voting by mail or leaving a ballot in an official drop box, located throughout the counties.
“This is the beauty of California democracy,” Arana, of the Latino Community Foundation, said. “We have given our electorate so many ways to vote in our elections and participate in our democracy.”
“The concerns are real. … At the end of the day, there are so many ways to ensure you participate.”
Reporting an incident
Despite attempts to prevent voter intimidation or other election misconduct, election officials are encouraging the public to report an incident should something occur.
They may notify the secretary of state’s office by calling its confidential voter hotline at 800-345-8683, emailing elections@sos.ca.gov or filing an online voter complaint form.
To reach the L.A. County registrar’s office, call 800-815-2666.
To report an incident to the Orange County registrar’s office, notify a vote center employee or call the registrar’s voter assistance hotline at 714-567-7600.
To report concerns to the Riverside County registrar’s office, call 951-486-7200 or email rovweb@rivco.org. Reports may also be made in person at 2720 Gateway Drive in Riverside.