California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed and ratified a legislation this Thursday, September 26, that prohibits local governments from requiring voters to present identification at polls.
The law is an effort to curb conservative initiatives in cities like Huntington Beach, California. The move has ignited widespread debate and criticism, particularly from prominent figures like the owner of X, Elon Musk.
Musk took to X to dish his take on the move, tweeting:
"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."
What prompted California Governor Gavin Newsom to sign the contentious bill?
53.4% of Huntington Beach city's residents signed a contentious bill in March, one that mandated Voter IDs at the time of casting a ballot in municipal elections.
However, not long after the bill was ratified, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber sued the city to invalidate the law. According to them, the measure was a direct violation of state voting protections.
At the time, Bonta said in a statement,
"The right to freely cast your vote is the foundation of our democracy, and Huntington Beach's voter ID policy flies in the face of this principle. 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."
He continued, dubbing the new bill "unnecessary."
"Imposing unnecessary obstacles to voter participation disproportionately burdens low-income voters, voters of color, young or elderly voters, and people with disabilities.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, California is now one of the 14 states that do not mandate producing a Voter ID for elections.
The bill, SB 1174, was initially passed in August by the state's Assembly and Senate. It was introduced by state Sen. David Min. It impedes the local government's efforts to draw up their own rules and regulations for municipal elections.
At the time, he said in a statement to the LA Times,
"We cannot have 100 different charter cities making up 100 different sets of voting rules based on fringe conspiracy theories. I have repeatedly told the Huntington Beach City Council members pushing this issue that if they were to produce any evidence of widespread voter fraud, I would lead efforts to change California’s voter eligibility rules.”
David Min's bill is driven by a broader strategy to enforce state-wide voting rights protection. Other such efforts include another legislation that increases the Secretary of State's jurisdiction over voting systems.
The state's new law remains in effect. However, the city of Huntington Beach, led by a Republican city council, has not yet responded to Bonta and Weber's lawsuit. As for the new measure, it will officially come into effect on January 1, 2025.
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