It doesn’t appear as though true election integrity will be coming to the state of California anytime soon, thanks to Democrats.
California voters decisively rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have imposed new identification requirements on voters casting ballots in person and by mail.
Proposition 39 was defeated Tuesday, with approximately 59% voting “No” and roughly 41% supporting the measure in the latest count.
The Associated Press called the contest against Proposition 39 on election night, although California continued counting millions of ballots afterward.
The measure would have required Californians voting in person to present government-issued identification before casting their ballots.
Mail voters would have been required to place the last four digits of a designated government-issued identification number on their ballot envelopes.
Those numbers would have needed to match identification information associated with the voter’s registration.
Proposition 39 also would have required election officials to report annually on the percentage of registered voters whose citizenship had been verified.
California currently generally verifies voter identity through signatures rather than requiring identification each time someone votes.
When registering, voters provide identifying information and attest under penalty of perjury that they meet California’s eligibility requirements.
Election officials subsequently compare signatures associated with ballots against signatures maintained in voter registration records.
Supporters presented Proposition 39 as an election-integrity measure designed to strengthen public confidence in California elections.
Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio helped spearhead the campaign alongside Reform California after previous legislative efforts to impose voter identification requirements failed.
The California Republican Party and Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association were among organizations supporting the proposal.
Backers argued requiring identification to vote was a straightforward safeguard already employed in various forms across much of the country.
“Prop. 39 failed this year, but we are confident that commonsense voter ID is still in California’s future,” campaign spokesperson Meredith Shields said following the defeat.
Opponents mounted an expensive campaign of their own and argued the additional requirements could prevent some otherwise eligible Californians from successfully casting ballots.
The opposition included the California Democratic Party, ACLU California Action, Common Cause and the League of Women Voters of California.
