Avoid thoughtless posting - imagine a post that you would find inspiring from others, then aim for that standard yourself. In this way the board will blossom.
- Manlobbi
Halls of Shrewd'm / US Policy
No. of Recommendations: 3
Interesting:
https://x.com/carldemaio/status/204808963424539074...WE DID IT! Our CA Voter ID Initiative just officially qualified for the November 2026 ballot! Now the hard part is waging the campaign to pass it! Like/share if you are voting FOR this game-changing measure.What's in the CA voter ID initiative?
https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/638648240867557...SECTION 2. CALIFORNIA VOTER IDENTIFICATION REFORMS
Article II of the California Constitution is amended to add section 3.1 to read as follows:
Section 3.1
(a) The Secretary of State, and county elections officials, shall each have the duty to maintain accurate voter
registration lists, shall use best efforts to verify citizenship attestations using government data, and shall annually
report what percentage of each county’s voter rolls have been citizenship-verified.
(b) Each time a voter casts a ballot in person in any election in the State, the voter shall present government-issued
identification, or if voting by mail, the voter shall provide the last four digits of a unique identifying number from
government-issued identification that matches the one designated by the voter in their voter registration record.
The type of identification designated by each voter must be indicated in their voter registration record, noted on a
mail ballot provided to them, and available to them on request by phone or electronically. Election officials shall
only count a regular or provisional ballot after verifying the identity of the person voting pursuant to the
requirements of this section, and verifying that the person has cast only one ballot in the election. Government
issued identification means documentation that allows conclusive verification of the voter’s identity. Upon request
by an eligible voter, the state shall provide, at no charge, a voter ID card for use in casting a ballot.
No. of Recommendations: 5
Upon request by an eligible voter, the state shall provide, at no charge, a voter ID card for use in casting a ballot.
That is the provision that might make the entire thing acceptable, to me: no cost to the voter. The knotty question is, to obtain that voter ID card, will the voter be required to present documents that are *not* available free of charge? Poll taxes are illegal in this country.
Steve
No. of Recommendations: 9
Poll taxes are illegal in this country.
Of course poll taxes are illegal!
That’s why we call them something else!
No. of Recommendations: 0
Trump has made voter ID a toxic issue for the left, so there is little chance even a common sense bill would pass in CA.
I would love to see a comparison between this bill and the save act...
Alan
No. of Recommendations: 4
Trump has made voter ID a toxic issue for the left, so there is little chance even a common sense bill would pass in CA.
That says more about the folks who would vote NO than it does about Trump.
No. of Recommendations: 2
That is the provision that might make the entire thing acceptable, to me: no cost to the voter. The knotty question is, to obtain that voter ID card, will the voter be required to present documents that are *not* available free of charge?
Very astute. If "yes", I would support such a measure (if I were in CA). I think it was MrFungi who worked in Detroit(?) trying to get poor people IDs. Many didn't have birth records easily available. There were other issues. He posted a few years ago about his efforts, and the hurdles encountered. It could be expensive.
If the state aided people in getting legit IDs, that would resolve my only real problem with requiring IDs at polling stations.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Given we all now know that voter ID does almost nothing to prevent fraudulent voting, yet can disenfranchise millions of valid voters, that is not clear.
Given this, most people are not going to take the time to understand the extent the bill is "common sense". For instance, I was personally unwilling to waste my time comparing this bill to the save act.
Alan
No. of Recommendations: 2
The only value I see in all this effort is it takes away one of the issues the GOP campaigns on. The reason it is an issue is Trump still believes he won the 2020 election.
I see no reason to invest taxpayer money based on one mans hurt feelings.
Alan
No. of Recommendations: 4
Given we all now know that voter ID does almost nothing to prevent fraudulent voting, yet can disenfranchise millions of valid voters, that is not clear.
We don't all know that; having voter verification is 100% better than not having voter verification. There's certainly nothing wrong with adding safeguards to the franchise.
No. of Recommendations: 1
The only value I see in all this effort is it takes away one of the issues the GOP campaigns on.
There is that. But, also, ID is very useful in many situations. We don't think about it because we have it, and probably have always had it. I've had it since I was 15 yrs 9 months, because that was the age I was able to get my learner's permit.
So, I would not object to the government helping anyone who wants an ID to get one.
No. of Recommendations: 16
having voter verification is 100% better than not having voter verification.
You often complain about the left not thinking through the unintended consequences of their policy proposals, yet here you are.
Alan
No. of Recommendations: 9
The Secretary of State, and county elections officials, shall each have the duty to maintain accurate voter
registration lists,
You list my vote right there. Right at the beginning.
Having two different public officials maintaining voter rolls is a recipe for disaster. The two lists will never agree. And then who will decide which list is right??
This alone is going to generate lots of litigation. Then there’s “best efforts” to verify citizenship. What is best effort? Who decides if an effort is enough to be best? More litigation.
No thanks on this bit of bad law writing.
—Peter
No. of Recommendations: 2
No thanks on this bit of bad law writing.
There’s a lot of that going around lately.
No. of Recommendations: 21
If the federal government can automatically register every person for the draft at age 18, they should also automatically register them to vote and issue a voter id. People shouldn’t have to request a voter id.
No. of Recommendations: 18
We don't all know that; having voter verification is 100% better than not having voter verification.
Why? Voter fraud is virtually non-existent, outside of Trump's attempts to fraudulently steal an election. Our system has worked well. This is just the right trying to disenfranchise those they don't like.
No. of Recommendations: 2
You often complain about the left not thinking through the unintended consequences of their policy proposals, yet here you are.
Alan
So it’s a bad thing for the state to hand out free, secure ID to its citizens? In a day and age where you need secure ID in society to function?
That’s certainly a take.
No. of Recommendations: 3
If the federal government can automatically register every person for the draft at age 18,
And every person born in the USA is issued a social security number at birth. So all those who are citizens at birth are also easily identified and verified. Have social security issue an ID card at birth, and renew it every 5th birthday. (Mainly to keep the photograph reasonably up to date.)
—Peter
No. of Recommendations: 0
I hope it fails.
If it passes it removes a HUUUUUUUUGE weapon to cast doubts on election results and undermine "Democracy"
No. of Recommendations: 2
So it’s a bad thing for the state to hand out free, secure ID to its citizens?
Not at all. Given the turmoil some kids experience in their early life, a hard copy document would probably be lost long before the kid turns 18. Best bet would be a DNA sample, taken at birth, or at time of naturalization, and archived. Then, any time a person wants to prove citizenship, provide a new DNA sample for comparison, to obtain a document.
But, that doesn't do anything for the 300+M USians that are already here.
Steve
No. of Recommendations: 1
So all those who are citizens at birth are also easily identified and verified. Have social security issue an ID card at birth, and renew it every 5th birthday. (Mainly to keep the photograph reasonably up to date.)
Reads very closely to what I posted years ago regarding a US National Identity Card.
