Supporters of the measure say they garnered some 1.35 million signatures to get it on the ballot.<\/p>\n
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) \u2014 Supporters of voter ID at California polls scored a major win Friday, as their ballot measure will appear on the November ballot.<\/p>\n
Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced that the citizen-initiated measure gathered more than the 962,106 valid signatures needed to qualify for the ballot.<\/p>\n
If approved by voters in November, it would require voters to show government-issued ID, such as a driver\u2019s license or passport, for in-person voting. Mail voters would need to provide the last four digits of their ID.<\/p>\n
The measure would also require California to issue ID cards upon request and mandate that election officials submit annual reports on the percentage of county voters whose citizenship was verified.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not surprised,\u201d said state Senator Tony Strickland, a Huntington Beach Republican and proponent of the measure, about it reaching voters. \u201cYou need ID in every part of your life \u2014 to opening a bank account to getting prescription drugs to getting on a plane.\u201d<\/p>\n
Strickland told Courthouse News that internal polling shows the measure has strong support. Signatures from people in every county helped the measure reach the November election.<\/p>\n
Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a San Diego Republican and a measure proponent, said in a statement that about 1.35 million people signed papers to put the measure on the ballot, with half of those coming from Democrats and Independents.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur measure simply holds government officials accountable to maintain accurate voter lists and verify the identity of individuals casting ballots in our elections,\u201d DeMaio said. \u201cOther states that have implemented voter ID programs have seen an increase in participation in their election, including an increase in minority voting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The measure is opposed by voting rights, disability rights and labor groups. They argued it would make it more difficult for millions of people to vote, make voters more susceptible to identity theft and cost the state millions of dollars.<\/p>\n
\u201cCalifornia\u2019s elections are already secure,\u201d said\u00a0David Trujillo, executive director of ACLU California Action, in a statement. \u201cThis is voter suppression, pure and simple, and would create new obstacles to voting for countless Californians.\u201d<\/p>\n
The League of Women Voters said in a statement the measure is part of a dangerous national trend, adding that anti-voter laws sow fear and distrust in elections. The group said it will challenge supporters\u2019 claims and work to defeat the measure.<\/p>\n
The organization also criticized the requirement that voters include the last four digits of their government ID on mail ballots, saying it could expose millions to identity theft.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting an ID can require taking time off work, arranging transportation, gathering documents like birth certificates, and paying fees,\u201d said\u00a0Jenny Farrell, executive director of the League of Women Voters of California, in a statement.\u00a0\u201cThose barriers fall hardest on people of color, seniors, people with low incomes, people with disabilities, and those in rural areas.\u201d<\/p>\n