A California bill that would ban local governments from requiring voter identification in their elections passed the state assembly, and now awaits the governor’s approval or veto.
The measure would ban local governments such as Huntington Beach—where voters recently gave the City Council the go-ahead to impose such a requirement—from enacting voter ID laws and makes clear the state has exclusive jurisdiction when it comes to the voter verification process.
Senate Bill 1174, authored by Sen. Dave Min, passed the Assembly in a 57 to 16 vote on Aug. 27.
In May the Senate approved the bill 30-8.
Min said his bill would protect against a “patchwork of varying election requirements” throughout the state, blocking all cities from requiring voters to present a government-issued identification to vote. The ban would include charter cities, which have more authority than general-law cities over such things as regulating local police and elections.
“We cannot have 100 different charter cities making up 100 different sets of voting rules, based on fringe conspiracy theories,” Min said, referring to questions of election integrity in the 2020 presidential election.
In a May 21 Senate floor hearing, Min said SB 1174 would create a statewide standard that prevents cities from enacting their own policies, which he said could create inequality.
“SB 1174 would try to address this matter and ensure that local jurisdictions cannot impose their own voter ID requirements to try to engage in culture wars and try to disenfranchise voters,” he said.
In a recent Assembly Local Government bill analysis, Min argued that voter ID requirements only create barriers for voters but don’t protect against fraud, as voters already must verify their identity when they register.
“Healthy democracies rely on robust access to the polls. An overwhelming body of evidence proves that voter ID laws only subvert voter turnout and create barriers to law-abiding voters,” he said.
He said the state already automatically recounts some ballots, does signature verification checks, and allows voters to track their ballots.
“We will not concede to ploys of voter fraud while an overwhelming body of evidence proves our elections are safe, secure, and above board,” he said.
Voters in California are required to show identification only if they didn’t provide a driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering, but the secretary of state also accepts credit or debit cards, student IDs, or an ID from a commercial establishment.
For mail-in ballots, those without proper identification are treated as provisional ballots per existing state law and election officials are supposed to request proof before counting them. In the 2022 statewide general election, 660 ballots were rejected because of identification issues.
During the March 5 primary election, voters in Huntington Beach, a charter city in Orange County, approved a charter amendment to allow voter ID requirements in city elections starting in 2026.
But according to Min, if SB 1174 is signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the bill would nullify the city’s Measure A before it takes effect.
Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates told The Epoch Times in a recent interview that Min’s bill is “pure political symbolism” in response to the city’s recently passed measure.
He said as a charter city, under Article XI, Section 5 (b) of the California Constitution, Huntington Beach has a right to have voter ID, and the state will lose any legal challenges it brings.
“The state is running headlong into another legal clash, which it will lose miserably. Huntington Beach has it right, the state has it completely wrong. And, all Californians want election integrity. It’s common sense,” he said in a text message to The Epoch Times.
According to Huntington Beach Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark, residents have said they would feel more secure if IDs are checked at in-person polling stations.
“We put it out there on the ballot, they said we want this and the state is doing everything within their power to stop us from honoring what the voters have been asking us for,” she told The Epoch Times in a May interview when Min’s bill first cleared the Senate.
Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the bill.
