The Left needs to stop tampering with how people vote. The old system wasn’t broken.
But now a congressional Leftist is pushing a harebrained scheme to ruin U.S. elections.
Swalwell Pushes Smartphone Voting in California Gubernatorial Campaign
California Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), fresh off announcing his 2026 run for governor on late-night TV, is pitching a major shake-up to the state’s voting system: letting people cast ballots directly from their phones.
Appearing Saturday on CNN’s The Story Is with Elex Michaelson, Swalwell argued it’s time to “max out democracy” by bringing elections into the smartphone era. “I want us to be able to vote by phone,” he said.
“If we can do our taxes … make our healthcare appointments, you know … do your banking online, you should be able to vote by phone.”
Current California law limits voting to in-person or mail ballots only, and while many voters already use mail-in options, Swalwell’s proposal would mark one of the most dramatic expansions of remote voting in the country
This move inevitably raises eyebrows about security risks, potential hacking vulnerabilities, and the challenge of ensuring every vote is verifiable and protected from manipulation.
Swalwell also suggested unspecified fines for counties if voters wait longer than 30 minutes in line, framing both ideas as ways to make participation easier and more convenient.
Crowded Democratic Primary Field
The smartphone-voting pitch comes as Swalwell formally jumps into the race to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
He launched his campaign last week on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, joining a growing Democratic primary that already includes former Rep. Katie Porter and former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Notably absent from the contest are bigger names like Sen. Alex Padilla and former Vice President Kamala Harris, leaving the field wide open for 2026.
While convenience is an easy sell, critics of phone-based voting—across party lines—point out that banking apps and tax software have teams of cybersecurity experts and fraud-detection systems that election infrastructure simply doesn’t match, and one successful breach could undermine trust in results for years to come.
For now, Swalwell is betting that “modernizing” voting will resonate with California’s tech-savvy electorate more than those lingering concerns.
