Should California require ID to vote in elections? Watch The Bee's break down of Proposition 39
Oct 31, 2026
There is a measure on your California ballot
that could change how you vote.
It's called Proposition 39. Let's talk about it.
If Prop 39 passes, you'd have to show a
government-issued photo ID every time you vote in person.
Voting by mail, you'd write the last
four digits of an ID number,
your driver's license for example, on the return envelope.
Don't have an ID? The state would be required
to give you a free voter ID card,
no charge, if you ask for one. There's a second piece too.
Election officials would have to use government data
to check that registered voters
are U.S. citizens, then publish those results every year.
So who's behind this? Republican
Assemblymember Carl DeMaio is leading the charge.
He calls it a common-sense fix to rebuild trust
in elections. The Yes campaign has pulled in more than $24 million,
a lot of it from right-leaning
billionaires. On the other side,
Democrats like Governor Gavin Newsom and Nancy Pelosi,
We'll see as well as voting rights groups.
They argue it would keep eligible people
from voting to solve a problem,
in-person voter fraud, that research shows is extremely rare.
Implementing voter ID won't be cheap either.
State analysts estimate it would cost tens of millions dollars or even
hundreds of millions every year.
This November, it's up to you.
Yes or no on Prop 39.

