Proposition 39Constitutional amendment · Citizen initiative
Voter ID and citizenship checks
Explain it like I'm 5
You would show government ID when voting in person, and give ID numbers when voting by mail. Officials would also compare voter records with other government data.
Yes vote
Voters must provide government-issued identification information, and election officials must conduct and report citizenship checks.
No vote
California keeps its current signature-based identity checks and existing citizenship-verification rules.
The question to ask yourself
Is greater confidence in voter identity worth the added burden and cost?
The case for
- Supporters say ID rules could increase confidence that ballots come from eligible voters.
- Government-data checks could identify inaccurate or ineligible voter records.
- Uniform rules would apply to in-person and mail voting.
Backed by: The Transparency Foundation, Latino American Political Association, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, California Women’s Leadership Association
The case against
- Eligible voters without usable documents could face extra barriers.
- Database errors could incorrectly flag eligible citizens.
- Existing signature verification and voter-registration checks already provide safeguards.
Opposed by: ACLU California Action, Common Cause, League of Women Voters of California
- Money
- Implementation costs are estimated at tens of millions to low hundreds of millions of dollars annually. [Official analysis](https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/39/analysis.htm)
- Don't be misled
- It is misleading to call this only an in-person ID rule because mail voters would also have to provide identification information.