{"id":408677,"date":"2026-07-22T23:44:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T23:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/408677\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T23:44:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T23:44:12","slug":"rephrased-california-voter-id-measure-sparks-election-rigging-outcry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/408677\/","title":{"rendered":"Rephrased California voter ID measure sparks election rigging outcry"},"content":{"rendered":"

California\u2019s Democrat Attorney-General has been accused of making a dishonest, last minute attempt to thwart a state voter ID proposal<\/a> going to voters in the fall, leading to allegations of election rigging.<\/p>\n

The backers of Proposition 39<\/a>, which would require voters to provide government ID at the polls or the last four digits of a ID number if voting by mail, claim that Attorney General Rob Bonta<\/a> changed the ballot measure\u2019s description in a malicious attempt to ensure the proposal didn\u2019t have a chance on election day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is blatant manipulation and rigging right in the middle of the election season,\u201d fumed Republican Assemblyman David Tangipa<\/a>, one of the first to spot the changes.<\/p>\n

Bonta\u2019s office is required to write a title and summary for ballot measures, and his office took steps in September of last year to describe the measure ahead of signatures being gathered to help the measure qualify for November\u2019s election. <\/p>\n

An election worker extracts a mail-in ballot. Prop 39 would establish voter ID rules in California. Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Republicans are accusing Bonta of trying to \u201crig\u201d the election by portraying the ballot measure negatively.<\/p>\n

In the attorney general\u2019s original description<\/a>, Prop 39 is a measure that \u201cestablishes additional voter identification and citizenship verification requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the description revealed Tuesday in the voter information guide is vastly different. Bonta now describes<\/a> Prop 39 as a measure that \u201cprohibits citizens from voting unless they present government-issued identification.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supporters of the voter ID ballot measure were furious after they spotted the changes in the description of their proposal in the newly released voter information guide <\/a>for the November election that will be mailed to all voters.<\/p>\n

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The new summary of the voter ID proposal is also different and framed more negatively. It states the measure can \u201cprohibit\u201d voting and \u201cinvalidate\u201d mail ballots without proper identification, whereas the original summary simply listed IDs as requirements.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia politicians know that a super-majority of California voters support Prop 39\u2019s bipartisan solution for Voter ID \u2013 so now they are corruptly trying to rig the election by putting a biased and dishonest title on this common-sense measure,\u201d said Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, the chief backer of the ballot measure.<\/p>\n

The new summary also omits the requirement for the state to provide voter ID cards on request.<\/p>\n

Prop. 39 comes amid increasing scrutiny<\/a> about California\u2019s elections and the Trump administration\u2019s battle against mail-in ballots<\/a>, which the state\u2019s election system has wholeheartedly embraced.<\/p>\n

The voter ID measure qualified for the November ballot in April with more than 962,000 signatures and will become law if California voters approve it. In addition to the ID requirements, it would require election officials to report how much citizenship statuses are verified and require audits for compliance.<\/p>\n

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is responsible for ballot measure descriptions. REUTERS<\/p>\n

Critics are warn Bonta\u2019s changes put the voter ID in peril.<\/p>\n

\u201cRob Bonta couldn\u2019t stop 1.3 million Californians from putting Prop 39 on the ballot,\u201d Rep. James Gallagher (R-Yuba City). <\/p>\n

\u201cSo what does he do? He changes the ballot title to manipulate how voters see voter ID, sabotaging it before Californians ever get a fair vote.\u201d<\/p>\n

The California Secretary of State deferred on commenting and referred The Post to Bonta\u2019s office, which had not publicly addressed the changes prior to this story.<\/p>\n

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After multiple attempts for comment, the attorney general\u2019s office pointed The Post to a state law that says \u201cthe ballot title and summary may differ from the legislative, circulating, or other title and summary of the measure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not uncommon for the ballot title and summary to change from the circulating version \u2014 and this year, all nine voter-proposed initiatives had changes,\u201d Bonta\u2019s office told The Post. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur office properly exercised its discretion to provide further clarity to voters about Prop 39\u2019s chief purpose and points for the ballot stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Republican Assembly member Carl DeMaio Getty Images<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time the attorney general\u2019s power over ballot descriptions have caused controversy.<\/p>\n

Former Attorney General Xavier Becerra<\/a>, the Democratic candidate in the November runoff for governor, also was accused of unfairly describing ballot measures<\/a> that favor his party and its allies.<\/p>\n

Prop 39 would require government ID when voting. Olga \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

State Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) has tried for years to push legislation <\/a>to shift the ballot-writing authority from the attorney general to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n

Labor unions and a Democrat-controlled Legislature have opposed and stopped such efforts. They argue the current structure is better because the attorney general\u2019s office is democratically elected, and the office has the resources and experience to do such work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe legal team at the attorney general\u2019s office is well-equipped to do this and has done a fine job,\u201d Terry Brennan, of\u00a0SEIU California, said at a legislative hearing in April.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a ballot language is prepared within a partisan office, it becomes vulnerable to politicization,\u201d Niello countered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis can result in wording that can be misleading, or perhaps incomplete, perhaps creating confusion, but if particularly slanted, creating mistrust in the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

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