Photo: Sarah Stierch / CC BY 4.0 (2022 file)
California voters rejected Proposition 39, turning down a measure that would have added government-issued identification requirements for in-person voting and extra ID-number checks for mailed ballots.
The result was called Tuesday night, not Thursday. The Associated Press called the measure’s rejection, according to a report published November 3 at 10:25 p.m. Pacific, or November 4 at 1:25 a.m. Eastern.
What Proposition 39 would have changed
Under the official Legislative Analyst’s analysis, voters casting ballots in person would have had to present government-issued identification. Mail voters would have selected a government-issued ID in their registration and written the last four digits of that ID number on their ballot envelope. Election officials would have checked those digits against the registration information before counting the ballot.
The measure also would have required election officials to make “best efforts” to verify registered voters’ U.S. citizenship using government data, report annually on how many voters’ citizenship had been verified, and provide a free state voter-identification card on request. The Legislature would have needed to define details, including which forms of ID qualified and what counted as best efforts. Regular state audits would have reviewed compliance.
Existing identity checks remain
Rejection means those additional requirements will not take effect. It does not mean California voting is free of identity checks.
The official analysis says a voter’s identity is established during registration using a driver’s license number, state ID number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. Voters who do not provide that information may be asked for identification the first time they vote. In-person voters generally identify themselves by signing the voter list; mail voters sign their ballot envelopes, and election officials verify those signatures before counting the ballots.
For voters, the practical result is that Proposition 39 will not add the proposed government-ID presentation rule or ID-number requirement on mailed ballot envelopes.
JBizNews Desk | Politics
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