What’s really going on in the debate over voter ID requirements?

SACRAMENTO — Between President Trump’s questionable dictates and a proposed 2026 ballot measure, Californians will be hearing a lot about voter ID requirements over the next year.

State voters will need to sift through an onslaught of falsehoods, political theatrics and simplistic arguments as they search for truth, an unfortunate reality in this Orwellian era.

At the moment, 36 states require or request that voters provide identification at the time they cast a ballot, and 10 states have strict laws requiring people to produce government-issued photo IDs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

California is not among them.

Proponents of voter ID requirements argue that such laws prevent election fraud and, along with proof of citizenship mandates, prevent noncitizens from voting. Opponents say ID laws disenfranchise Americans who have the right to vote but do not have such documentation readily available, and that they are unnecessary given that incidents of election fraud and voting by noncitizens are rare in the U.S. and already outlawed.

Debates over the issue are roiling Congress and spilling into the courts. Despite a 2024 Gallup poll that found national support for requiring voters to produce photo IDs, it remains an iffy prospect in California.

What’s being proposed

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump vowed to enact requirements for voter identification and proof of citizenship for Americans casting ballots. In late March, Trump issued an executive order that requires Americans to provide identification or documents proving their U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, as well as other changes to election laws. The mandates have been challenged by California and other states and partially blocked by a federal judge last week.

Trump’s order aligned with his unfounded claims that fraud is widespread in U.S. elections and that voting by noncitizen immigrants is a major problem.

Earlier this month, the Republican-led House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act to require proof of U.S. citizenship for anyone registering to vote in federal elections. People registering to vote would be required to present a REAL ID-compliant ID that verifies U.S. citizenship, a passport or other documents that can verify citizenship. Critics argue the list of documents that meet the standards under the proposed law is so restrictive that millions of voters would be disenfranchised. Its prospects of passing in the Senate remain unclear.

In California, Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) has launched a campaign for a 2026 ballot initiative that would require voter ID and proof of citizenship to register to vote. DeMaio’s statewide effort already was underway when his bill to impose those mandates was rejected by the elections committee in the Democratic-led state Assembly a few weeks ago.

What’s required in California

Californians are not required to show or provide identification when casting a ballot in person or by mail. They are required to provide identification when registering to vote, and must attest under penalty of perjury, a felony, that they are eligible to vote and a U.S. citizen.

To register to vote, Californians must provide their driver’s license number or state identification card number and the last four digits of their Social Security number, along with other information. The state is required to validate the information using relevant databases, including records at the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Social Security Administration.

This is where it gets controversial.

A person who registers to vote by mail and does not provide this information, or whose information cannot be verified, must provide acceptable identification before they can vote in a federal election.

Along with a driver’s license, U.S. passport or state identification card, acceptable identification can also include photo identification cards issued by a school, a credit card company, a gym, an insurance company, an employer or a public housing agency. Californians have the option of providing certain other documents, as long as they contain the person’s name and address, including: utility bills, bank statements, government checks, rental statements or government-issued public transportation and senior citizen cards.

When ballots are sent by mail, elections officials are required to verify a voter’s signature on the ballot by comparing it with the signature on the official voter registration records on file.

Supporters want tougher laws

DeMaio argues that enough voters have questions about the integrity and validity of elections that it just makes sense to have more safeguards. Many states already require a valid driver’s license or other government-issued ID for people casting ballots, so why not do it here in California, he said.

“Here’s the deal: Neither side should ever be in doubt about the integrity of an election,” he said during a meeting at the California Republican Party convention. “If you have a third of voters of any party upset with the integrity of an election, you have a problem with your democracy and you must fix it, no matter what side of the aisle you’re on. This should be a bipartisan commitment to restoring the integrity and trust and confidence.”

DeMaio’s campaign is trying to raise enough money, and gather enough signatures, to qualify a 2026 ballot measure enacting voter ID and proof of citizenship requirements. The measure would also require mail-in ballots to include the last four digits of the voter’s valid government-issued form of identification, along with the current requirement to have the signature of a voter verified. He argues that current efforts to verify voter signatures on mail-in ballots are spotty and error prone.

A non-issue, says California’s attorney general

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said setting up more stringent requirements for voter identification is not necessary and would suppress voting — anathema to a thriving democracy.

“There is no evidence of any widespread voter fraud; there is no evidence that proof of citizenship is needed to secure the integrity of our elections,” Bonta said during a news conference this month.

He noted a number of reasons eligible voters might not have government-issued IDs, including students who may possess only a school ID and people who have never applied for a driver’s license, because they don’t drive or purchase alcohol.

He contends the voter identification requirements California has in place for people registering to vote provide sufficient safeguards.

Bonta is among the state attorneys general challenging attempts by the Trump administration to impose proof of citizenship requirements and other election mandates, calling it an “illegal power grab” on the grounds that states are granted constitutional authority to govern their elections.

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