Prohibits Citizens from Voting Unless They Present Government-Issued Identification.
Prohibits voting by mail unless voter designates a government-issued identification number for their voter registration. Invalidates mail ballots if envelope does not include last four digits of a government-issued identification number matching the number designated in the voter’s registration (e.g., if voter designates Social Security number for registration, but provides driver’s license number on envelope, their ballot would not count). Prohibits voting in person without presenting government-issued identification. Requires elections officials to annually report percentage of each county’s voters whose citizenship status they have verified.
A YES vote on this measure means: Voters would be required to present additional identifying information to elections officials each time they vote.
A NO vote on this measure means: A voter’s identity would continue to be established with the voter’s signature.
Not published by the state
State and local government costs of between tens of millions of dollars and low hundreds of millions of dollars each year to implement new voting requirements. Costs depend on future decisions by the Legislature, state departments, local governments, and voters.
VOTER ID: A BIPARTISAN WAY TO INCREASE TRUST IN OUR ELECTIONS Democratic, Independent, and Republican voters all agree on one thing: Voter ID is a common-sense reform to increase trust and participation in our elections. That’s why almost half the signatures to put Prop. 39 on the ballot came from Democratic and Independent voters and polls show widespread super-majority support across all political parties for Voter ID. PROP. 39 KEEPS VOTING ACCESSIBLE AND GUARANTEES A FREE VOTER ID Prop. 39 keeps mail ballots, extended polling hours and all other conveniences in place for voting accessibility. Voters can use a variety of easily-obtained government IDs to vote—and this measure even guarantees every voter a FREE Voter ID if they want one. California currently uses a slow process to check signatures on mail ballots that not only delays election results but also puts your vote at risk of not being counted if your signature is flagged as not matching. Many voters say they cannot always remember how they signed their name years ago when they first registered to vote. In the last election, more than 100,000 ballots were rejected due to signature mismatches—and more than 200,000 voters endured hassles just to get their vote to count. VOTER ID INCREASES PARTICIPATION Voter ID does not suppress voting—in fact it increases voter participation. Every state with Voter ID laws and free identification for eligible voters that cannot afford or access identification, has seen an increase in voting. Suppression and lower turnout happen when voters do not have trust and confidence in the integrity of the process. Voter ID gives all voters a reason to trust that their vote will matter. PROP. 39 INCLUDES AUDITS AND CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION Prop. 39 holds election officials accountable for keeping California’s voter lists accurate and updated. Election officials will also be required to check voter rolls to ensure only citizens are registered. Prop. 39 requires an independent audit be conducted every two years to give the public the confidence they deserve in the way our elections are conducted. YES ON PROP. 39: FOR A NON-PARTISAN SOLUTION TO VOTER ID Politicians and partisan organizations who oppose Prop. 39 are desperately trying to inject toxic partisanship into this debate. That’s because they benefit from unfounded election conspiracy theories and rapidly declining trust in our elections. In contrast, supporters of Prop. 39 include solid majorities of Democratic, Republican and Independent voters and a diverse coalition including Latino American Political Association, California Women’s Leadership Association, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the Transparency Foundation, and trusted voting rights organizations. Vote YES on Prop. 39 to create a national model for implementing Voter ID in a bipartisan way.
Margit Whitlock, Democratic Coalition Chair; Californians for Voter ID; Tafa Jefferson, Republican Coalition Chair; Californians for Voter ID; Joe Green, Independent Coalition Chair; Californians for Voter ID
Alex Padilla, U.S. Senator for California; Catherine Kennedy, President; California Nurses Association; Adam Weinberger, President; California School Employees Association
VOTE NO. Donald Trump lies about elections and uses those lies to grab power. STOP TRUMP’S POWER GRAB. Trump wants revenge on California—he has delayed LA wildfire relief, undone laws to keep our air and water clean, and constantly attacked our immigrant friends and neighbors. Now he wants to undo our freedoms and democracy with Prop. 39. Trump’s cronies want to rig California elections so they can seize and keep control of Congress and the White House. Trump will do whatever it takes to tear apart our right to vote, dodge accountability, and hold onto authoritarian power. CALIFORNIANS WON’T FALL FOR IT. We have a chance to fight back and stop Trump by voting NO on Prop. 39. Don’t let California become the next state where politicians pick which voters count. WASTES HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. Trump and his accomplices want California to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to chase their election lies and conspiracy theories. Californians are struggling, and Trump wants YOU to pay for his conspiracies. PUTS YOUR IDENTITY AT RISK. Prop. 39 will make every vote by mail voter include their personal details on their return envelope—making voters easy targets for identity theft. Voters would have to choose between voting and protecting their privacy. BLOCKS CITIZENS FROM VOTING. Prop. 39 adds new hurdles—voters would have to include a personal ID number on their ballot envelope that has to exactly match state records. Get one digit wrong, and a valid ballot could get thrown out. If you don’t take extra steps to tell officials which ID you want to use for voting—you may not get a mail ballot at all. And if the address on your ID is not up to date or your name is misspelled—your vote might be rejected. PUSHES OUT VOTERS. “Free” state IDs aren’t free: voters still pay for transportation, time off work, and costs like childcare or getting required documents. Seniors, students, low-income workers, voters of color, and the millions of women who changed their names at marriage are hit hardest. These unfair barriers help politicians choose their voters instead of the other way around. TRUMP LIES TO GRAB POWER. DON’T LET THOSE LIES TAKE AWAY YOUR VOTE. PROTECT YOUR VOICE. PROTECT YOUR VOTE. VOTE NO. Learn more at CAforVotingRights.org
David Trujillo, Executive Director; ACLU California Action; Darius Kemp, California State Director; Common Cause; Lorrel Plimier, Co-President; League of Women Voters of California
Johnathan Hale, Executive Director; The Transparency Foundation; Cynthia Kaui, Executive Director; California Women’s Leadership Association; Ed Cervantes, President; Latino American Political Association
Both columns use the same layout. Text is quoted from the official state guide. Views expressed belong to the argument authors.