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A Folsom resident inserts a ballot as she votes on Proposition 50 at Folsom Lake College on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Two new lawsuits challenging the ballot language for Proposition 39, a voter ID initiative that will be voted on in November.<\/p>\n
HECTOR AMEZCUA<\/p>\n
hamezcua@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
The top two Democrats in California\u2019s Legislature filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging claims made by backers of a proposition that would institute a voter ID requirement at the ballot box.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit from Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Senate President Pro Tempore Monique Lim\u00f3n, D-Goleta, seeks to block Proposition 39 supporters from making claims that they argue are \u201cfalse and misleading.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prop. 39 would add a new requirement that voters show government identification before casting a ballot, or include the last four digits of a government-issued ID number on a mail-in ballot.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit centers on language in a draft voter guide that will be sent to Californians beginning next month. The guide includes arguments from both supporters and critics of ballot measures. Rivas and Lim\u00f3n\u2019s lawsuit targets a number of claims:<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cVoter ID makes it easier to vote.\u201d \u2014 The Democrats argue Prop. 39 adds a new requirement for voters and therefore makes it harder, not easier to cast a ballot.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Prop. 39 would simplify the process of verifying ballots \u2014 In their statement in the draft voter guide, Prop. 39 backers argue that California\u2019s current signature verification process on mail-in ballots is slow and unreliable, and that using government ID numbers is simpler. But Rivas and Lim\u00f3n say that nothing in Prop. 39 would alter the signature verification process, and say adding the new requirement would pose additional hurdles for voters.<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cProp. 39 saves money\u201d \u2014 Supporters of the proposition argue it will result in cost savings because of improved voter list accuracy and tighter audits. But Rivas and Lim\u00f3n cite an analysis from nonpartisan legislative analysts that the measure would ultimately cost \u201cbetween tens of millions of dollars and low hundreds of millions of dollars each year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The measure\u2019s sponsor, Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, slammed the lawsuit in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese politicians know that they can\u2019t win a fair vote on Prop. 39\u2019s bipartisan solution for Voter ID because it has supermajority support from California voters \u2014 so instead they\u2019re trying to rig the election by putting a false ballot title on it and are now even distracting voters from their tampering of the ballot title with this frivolous lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ballot language is a frequent source of litigation. Californians for Voter ID filed their own suit against Attorney General Rob Bonta Monday challenging the title and summary of Prop. 39<\/a>. They argue the title \u2014 \u201cProhibits citizens from voting unless they present government issued identification\u201d \u2014 and summary fails to live up the legal requirement that ballot titles are a \u201ctrue and impartial\u201d statement of the proposition\u2019s purpose.<\/p>\n Bonta\u2019s office changed the title and summary from an earlier iteration they\u2019d assigned backers to use to gather signatures. He\u2019s argued<\/a> such changes are not unusual and help clarify a proposition\u2019s purpose.<\/p>\n Californians for Voter ID spokesperson Meredith Shields called the latest lawsuit a \u201cdiversion\u201d intended to mask Bonta\u2019s partisan bias.<\/p>\n \u201cThe opponents\u2019 lawsuit doesn\u2019t change the fact that Californians, not politicians, special interests, or lawyers, will have the final say this November,\u201d Shields said.<\/p>\n This story was originally published July 29, 2026 at 3:23 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
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