39

Why Thrive LA supports 39

Proposition 39 would amend the California Constitution to require voters to present government-issued identification when voting in person and to write the last four digits of a government-issued ID number on their mail-in ballot envelope. The state would be required to provide a free voter ID card to any eligible voter who requests one. The measure also directs election officials to verify the citizenship status of registered voters using government data and to submit to regular audits by the State Auditor. Every functioning democracy depends on one foundational agreement: that the people who cast ballots are who they say they are. In an era when partisan mistrust and misinformation have corroded public confidence in elections, the answer is not to dismiss those concerns. It is to build transparent, verifiable systems that make fraud harder and trust easier. Proposition 39 does exactly that. Requiring identification to vote is standard practice in the vast majority of democracies worldwide, and the provision for a free state-issued voter ID card ensures that no eligible citizen is excluded for lack of resources. The Legislative Analyst's Office estimates implementation costs between tens of millions and low hundreds of millions of dollars annually, representing less than 0.25 percent of the state General Fund. That is a modest investment in electoral integrity. More importantly, the measure includes real accountability mechanisms: mandatory biennial audits by the independent State Auditor, required annual public reporting of citizenship verification rates by county, and a citizen right to seek judicial review if counties fail to comply. These are not bureaucratic add-ons. They are the kind of built-in oversight that government programs almost never include, and they give voters a direct tool to hold election administrators accountable. Opponents argue the measure will suppress turnout. But requiring identification to exercise a civic right is no more burdensome than the ID requirements Californians already meet to board a plane, buy certain medications, or pick up a package at the post office. The free voter ID provision eliminates any financial barrier. What remains is a straightforward verification step that most voters already expect exists. Vote YES on Proposition 39. Election integrity is not a partisan cause. It is the foundation every other policy debate rests on.