November ballot measure will let Californians decide on photo ID voting requirement

California voters will decide this November whether to amend the state constitution to require voters to present government-issued ID before casting a ballot.

The proposed constitutional amendment would require voters to present a government-issued photo ID when voting in person or provide the last four digits of their identification when casting a mail-in ballot. The measure would also require voters to affirm, under penalty of perjury, that they are US citizens.

The proposal has been backed by the California GOP and qualified for the November 3 ballot after supporters gathered enough signatures to place it before voters. The initiative was led by San Diego Assemblyman Carl DeMaio.

In addition to establishing voter identification requirements, the amendment would require the California Secretary of State and county election officials to verify a voter’s registration each time a ballot is cast.

According to a Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll conducted earlier this year, 56 percent of California voters support requiring photo identification to vote. The survey found support from 92 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of those of neither major political party. A majority of black and Latino voters also support the effort.

Interestingly, the poll found that while 53 percent of native-born Americans in the state support voter ID, a whopping 70 percent of foreign-born Americans support it.

“This is an initiative that’s incredibly popular amongst Democrats and Republicans,” said GOP state senator Tony Strickland from Huntington Beach, according to CalMatters. “I think the only way we don’t get this passed is if we get (outspent). So we’re working very hard with an on-the-ground campaign apparatus.”

The proposal has been met, however, with opposition from groups such as the ACLU California Action and others who claim it will suppress voter turnout and disproportionately affect non-white voters.