California Governor Gavin Newsom has recently signed a bill into law that prohibits local governments from implementing any kind of regulation that would require people to present identification before voting. This new legislation seems to be a direct response to a contentious ballot measure that was approved earlier this year by the city of Huntington Beach, requiring individuals to show photo ID when casting their vote at polling stations. The measure received 53.4% support and would also increase the number of in-person voting locations as well as monitor the use of ballot dropboxes during local elections.
As a charter city governed by a Republican majority, Huntington Beach claims that it has the authority to administer its own elections independently. Nonetheless, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the city with the aim of rendering the law invalid, arguing that it interferes with the state’s protections regarding voting rights.
In his statement about Huntington Beach’s measure, Bonta stated: “State election law already contains robust voter ID requirements with strong protections to prevent voter fraud while ensuring that every eligible voter can cast their ballot without hardship. Imposing unnecessary obstacles to voter participation disproportionately burdens low-income voters, voters of color, young or elderly voters, and people with disabilities.
Essentially, Bonta’s concern is that this measure could make it more difficult for certain demographics traditionally associated with voting Democratic to cast their votes – however, the unspoken issue at play here is that it would also hinder efforts to manipulate election results.
Huntington Beach failed to respond to the lawsuit, making the new state-wide law redundant in this particular case.
The passage of this legislation has already sparked a strong reaction from tech billionaire Elon Musk, who referred to Newsom as “The Joker” on Twitter. He stated: “Wow, it is now illegal to require voter ID in California! They just made PREVENTING voter fraud against the law. The Joker is in charge.
Currently, California is among 14 states that do not impose any identification requirements for voting purposes. Some of the other states in this category include Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Maine, and New York. In contrast, 24 states mandate that voters present photo IDs when casting their ballots. For instance, Florida requires its citizens to provide both a photograph and a signature as identification at polling stations. Eleven other states permit individuals to vote using forms of identification that do not include photographs, such as utility bills or bank statements featuring the individual’s name and address.
As Election Day draws closer, many people are understandably concerned about the potential for manipulation in the voting process, given the events of 2020. Voter ID laws have been shown to be highly effective in preventing various forms of electoral fraud, including impersonating registered voters at polling stations, preventing non-citizens from casting ballots, and hindering individuals from registering to vote in multiple jurisdictions.
While liberals often argue that these laws disproportionately affect certain groups of people, the fact is that Americans from all backgrounds and political beliefs strongly support the idea of requiring identification for voting purposes. In a poll conducted by the Honest Elections Project, it was found that 77% of all Americans are in favor of photo ID requirements when casting a ballot, while only 14% are opposed. The same study revealed that 76% of low-income voters, 77% of Hispanic voters, and 64% of black voters also support voter ID laws.
Sources for this article include.
X.com.
DemocracyDocket.com.
FoxNews.com.
Heritage.org.