California Republican lawmakers launch campaign to require voter ID

By TR N NGUY N Associated Press SACRAMENTO Calif AP Two California Republican state lawmakers launched a campaign Wednesday to place a measure on the ballot that would require voter identification and proof of citizenship at the polls The proposal would require the state to verify proof of citizenship when a person registers to vote and voters would have to provide identifications at the polls Those who vote through mail-in ballots would have to give the last four digits of a government-issued ID such as a Social Guard number We do not want to make it harder to vote In fact our initiative makes it easier to vote because it streamlines the process to verify someone s identity Assemblymember Carl DeMaio who s leading the effort explained at a Wednesday news conference Related Articles Vance touts tax breaks in Pennsylvania as he makes White House s first big pitch on Trump s new law Trump says he s highly unlikely to fire Fed s Powell after floating that idea in private Trump s bid to claw back B in foreign aid and community broadcasting funds nears Senate vote Stay or go For a few transgender sailors and Marines Trump s ban leaves one option Come and find me A look inside a lab making the advanced fuel to power growing US nuclear potential ambitions The Republican lawmakers stated the measure would help restore trust in elections where they stated people have complained about outdated voter rolls and an inadequate signature review process with selected also casting doubt on electoral contest results While voting by noncitizens has occurred research and reviews of state cases have shown it to be rare and typically a mistake rather than an intentional effort to sway an vote Voter fraud is also rare California is among states and the District of Columbia that do not require voters to show specific form of identification at the polls or to register to voter The California campaign came as congressional Republicans were working to advance their own ordinance to overhaul the nation s voting procedures at the urging of President Donald Trump Across the country lawmakers in states have introduced provision this year to require proof of citizenship for voters according to National Conference of State legislatures Opponents argued that the requirements make it more laborious for people to vote especially the elderly those with disabilities and those without driver s licenses The NAACP and other civil rights groups have argued that it disproportionately harms Black and Latino voters Democrats in the California Legislature who hold supermajorities in both chambers in April rejected a bill by DeMaio aiming to enact similar voting rule changes The statewide proposal also came as the state continued to challenge a local measure passed by voters in the city of Huntington Beach to require voter identification at the polls The state last year sued the city over the new rule and Gov Gavin Newsom signed a law to prohibit local governments in California from establishing and enforcing laws that require residents provide identification to vote in elections Sen Tony Strickland who helped pass the Huntington Beach measure as a city councilmember last year explained he expects a similar fight from state Democrats over the issue The courts would be on our side because we rigorously drafted this initiative It s constitutional he stated