California
Are ‘ballot selfies’ allowed at California voting sites?
Tips for coping with election stress
In a recent poll by the American Psychological Association, 69% of adults cited the upcoming election as a significant source of stress in their lives.
OAKLAND, Calif. – You’re at your polling place. You’re excited about taking part in the democratic process. You want to document the moment and perhaps share it on social media. Can you take a selfie at your polling place?
In California, the short answer is, “Yes.”
But as long as you do not violate any other law. And elections officials and poll workers ultimately have the discretion to prohibit the selfie if they determine the action is causing disruption that requires a response.
SEE ALSO: Nearly 50% of voters say deepfakes had some influence on election decision: Survey
State elections officials also note that the photos cannot result in the unauthorized sharing of and use of information relating to how a person has voted.
They also stress that taking photos at the polling place cannot compromise the privacy of other voters casting a ballot.
In addition, it’s illegal to intimidate other voters or interfere with the elections process or with the duties of elections workers.
So-called “ballot selfies” haven’t always been legal in California, and they’re not legal in all states.
California’s law changed on Jan. 1, 2017, allowing voters to “voluntarily disclose how he or she voted if that voluntary act does not violate any other law.”
Prior to that, the Secretary of State’s office historically took the position that the use of cameras and video equipment at polling places was prohibited.
Here’s a look at activities banned at California polling sites:
- DO NOT ask a person to vote for or against any candidate or ballot measure.
- DO NOT display a candidate’s name, image, or logo.
- DO NOT block access to or loiter near any ballot drop boxes.
- DO NOT provide any material or audible information for or against any candidate or ballot measure near any polling place, vote center, or ballot drop box.
- DO NOT circulate any petitions, including for initiatives, referenda, recall, or candidate nominations.
- DO NOT distribute, display, or wear any clothing (hats, shirts, signs, buttons, stickers) that include a candidate’s name, image, logo, and/or support or oppose any candidate or ballot measure.
- DO NOT display information or speak to a voter about the voter’s eligibility to vote.
- DO NOT engage in electioneering; photograph or record a voter entering or exiting a polling place; or obstruct ingress, egress, or parking
California is also one of about a dozen states and Washington, D.C. that has a complete ban on guns at polling sites, either open or concealed.
As for what voters should bring when going to cast their ballot, in some, but not most cases, a California voter may be required to show identification, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
Voters casting their ballot for the first time after mailing in their registration to vote may need to show proof of ID if they did not provide their driver’s license number, California identification number or the last four digits of their social security number on their registration form.
Here’s a list of acceptable forms of voter identification to use at polling places.
KTVU has compiled a comprehensive California voter guide with key information and election-related dates to help ensure your vote counts.
You can also find a link to our 2024 Election coverage here, where you can find information about candidates as well as state and local ballot measures.
Rapper was stabbed 16 times by fellow inmate in May 2025 while 10-year sentence in Megan Thee Stallion shooting case
Tory Lanez has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections stemming from a May 2025 incident where the rapper was stabbed in prison.
Lanez — born Daystar Peterson and currently serving a 10-year sentence after being found guilty in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case — also sued the warden and guards at the California Correctional Institute in Tehachapi, where the rapper was stabbed 16 times in an “unprovoked life-threatening attack” by another inmate, the lawsuit states.
Peterson was hospitalized following the May 2025 incident, suffering a collapsed lung among stab wounds to his back, torso, and head.
According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit criticized the Department of Corrections for housing Peterson with fellow inmate and alleged attacker Santino Casio, who was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. “The choice to house Casio with Peterson was known or should have been a known danger,” the lawsuit said, adding that Tory Lanez’ “high-profile celebrity status” made him a target.
The lawsuit also said that prison guards were slow to respond to the shanking, and didn’t employ flash grenades or other measures to halt Casio’s attack.; Casio was not charged for stabbing Peterson, the Associated Press notes.
Lanez, who following his hospitalization was transferred to San Luis Obispo County’s California Men’s Colony, also alleges in the lawsuit that he never received his possessions from the California Correctional Institute in Tehachapi, including songbooks filled with lyrics to his unreleased music.
Lanez is serving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot during a confrontation in the summer of 2020. He was eventually convicted on several firearms charges, including assault with a firearm, in December 2022. In November 2025, his appeal was denied by a three-judge panel, and the 10-year sentence was upheld.
From one crackdown on hospice fraud to another.
A few weeks ago, the FBI arrested multiple people in Southern California that were accused of defrauding the government for millions of dollars.
In a more recent announcement last Thursday, California’s State Attorney General Rob Bonta held a press conference to announce a fraud bust of their own.
“Operation Skip Trace uncovered and ended a hospice fraud scheme that defrauded Medi-Cal of $267 million,” Bonta said. “So just to be clear, a quarter billion dollars over funds that are paid for by California taxpayers, funds that are meant to provide care to Californians in need. It is unacceptable. It is illegal and we will not stand for it.”
The operation saw a total of 21 suspects charged as a result and dismantled a major hospice fraud scheme, with two handguns and over $750 thousand in cash seized as well.
According to the state’s attorney general, this is just one of the many cases over the years the state has cracked down on.
“This is just the latest example of the California DOJ’s longstanding ongoing and successful efforts to combat hospice and medical fraud,” Bonta said. “We have been doing this work for years. We’ve been doing it successfully before certain people in this country decided to think about it for the first time. We will continue to do this work. Heads down, sleeves rolled up, important investigative work, prosecutorial work.”
He added to that by taking a shot at the Trump Administration’s latest fraud operations.
“While healthcare fraud might be President Trump’s shiny new political talking point, the California DOJ has been going after healthcare fraud since 1979,” Bonta said. “For decades, Trump is late to the party. Protecting taxpayer dollars and protecting programs sick and vulnerable Californians rely on have been our priority for nearly five decades.”
Governor Gavin Newsom also spoke out about this latest crackdown while taking a shot of his own at President Trump.
In a post to “X” the Governor’s Press Office wrote in part quote…
“California has been cracking down on hospice fraud long before Trump gutted oversight and pardoned the architect of the biggest health care fraud scheme in U.S. history.”
State Republicans have responded to this latest announcement from Attorney General Bonta, calling for a special session to demand accountability from the Governor on widespread fraud.
California
Xavier Becerra surges in poll after Eric Swalwell drops out of California governor’s race
A new poll shows a major shift in the California governor’s race after former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who was once a frontrunner, dropped out of the election following several allegations of sexual misconduct.
“This definitely throws this race into even more volatility, creates a huge vacuum,” Pomona College politics professor Sara Sadhwani said.
According to the new numbers, Xavier Becerra, the former state attorney general and Health and Human Services Secretary under President Biden, is surging in popularity.
In Emerson College’s Inside California Politics poll, Becerra is now polling at 10%, a seven-point jump since March.
Republican Steve Hilton remains in the lead with 17%, followed by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at 14%.
Among Democrats, billionaire Tom Steyer leads the pack with 14%, followed by Becerra and former Rep. Katie Porter at 10% each. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan sits at 5%.
The poll showed that 23% of voters remain undecided.
“Xavier Becerra should be the happiest of them all because he’s the biggest move in this survey,” said Zev Yaroslavsky, director at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs.
Emerson College conducted the poll right after Swalwell dropped out of the race and President Trump endorsed Hilton.
“I believe over time, because Trump has endorsed Hilton for the governorship, that Hilton will continue to edge up and Bianco by definition will have to go down,” Yaroslavsky said.
Last weekend, the California GOP held its convention, and, similar to the Democrats, the party did not make an endorsement. However, Bianco received the most votes from the GOP delegates.
“We’re extremely happy with how it came out,” Bianco said. “There was a lot of effort put in by my opponent. Hundreds of thousands of dollars to try and win this election.
With the large number of undecided voters, Yaroslavky believes that the race is still in the air.
“It’s still early,” Yaroslavsky said. “It’s a little less than seven weeks before the election. The ballots go out at the beginning of next month. People, at least 30%, still haven’t made up their mind.”
In the state’s primary system, only the top two vote-getters in the June primary will advance to the November general election.
-
Nebraska4 minutes agoGallery: Huskers Run-Rule No. 12 USC to Take Series
-
Nevada10 minutes agoIN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada
-
New Hampshire16 minutes agoNew Hampshire grapples with nuclear waste storage – Valley News
-
New Jersey22 minutes agoNearby shooting interrupts 13-year-old’s birthday party in Paterson; 1 killed, 3 injured
-
New Mexico28 minutes agoCalm and warmer conditions move into New Mexico
-
North Carolina34 minutes agoMemorial service held for former Miss North Carolina Carrie Everett
-
North Dakota40 minutes ago
Richard D. Langowski Obituary April 16, 2026 – Tollefson Funeral Home
-
Ohio46 minutes agoThree Buckeyes Who Proved They Belong at Ohio State Spring Game
