California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Sunday that will bar local authorities from requiring photo ID to vote, which exceeds the state’s requirements.
California is one of 14 Democrat-run states that do not require any ID to vote, despite requiring it for many other purposes. Voters at polling places are checked off against voter rolls without further proof being required; voters who submit mail-in ballots must include their signatures on the envelopes that are checked by a machine against the signatures on file in voter registration records.
The City of Huntington Beach, one of the last conservative bastions in the state, which often opposes Democratic policies, planned to require photo ID for voting in 2024, after a ballot initiative passed to that effect in March.
The new law, SB 1174, “would prohibit a local government from enacting or enforcing any charter provision, ordinance, or regulation requiring a person to present identification for the purpose of voting or submitting a ballot at any polling place, vote center, or other location where ballots are cast or submitted, as specified.”
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