Proposition 39, the voter ID proposal, is common sense except to Sacramento politicians

Voter ID is a common-sense proposal — and this November, voters in California have the opportunity to pass it.Specifically, Proposition 39 says that election officials must verify the ID of whoever is voting, including whether registered voters are US citizens. But California officials have tried to scare voters away.At first, California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office described the initiative in neutral terms, saying it “Establishes Additional Voter Identification and Citizenship Verification Requirements.” But Bonta turned that into something entirely negative: “Prohibits Citizens From Voting Unless They Present Government-Issued Identification.” Prop.39 supporters challenged the new language in court, but a Sacramento judge allowed it to stand. It’s already illegal under current California law for noncitizens to register to vote.

But as a practical matter, it is very hard to prosecute violations.Prop.39 would shift the burden to state and local election officials to verify the citizenship of voters on the rolls, and then to report, county by county, what percentage of registered voters have actually been verified as citizens.It applies the same principle to voter ID. For in-person voting, voters would need to present government-issued identification.

For mail voting, which accounted for roughly 13 million of California’s 16 million votes in the 2024 presidential election, a voter would provide the last four digits of a government-issued identification number of the voter’s choice.Such a requirement already exists in 19 other states, covering almost half of the US population. And for eligible voters who need identification, the state would provide a voter ID card upon request at no charge. Prop.

39 is hardly a radical proposal.In 2024, a Gallup poll found that 84% of Americans support requiring photo ID to vote, while 83% support requiring people registering to vote for the first time to provide proof of citizenship.�...