Headline Roundup • October 1st, 2024
California Governor Newsom Signs Legislation Barring Voter ID Laws Statewide
Summary from the AllSides News Team
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation that will bar local governments in the state from establishing their own voter ID laws.
The Details: The law will take effect on January 1, 2025. The move comes in response to a law passed by residents of Huntington Beach, a city between Los Angeles and San Diego with a track record of voting for Republicans, in March. In April, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber sued Huntington Beach to nullify its law.
For Context: California is one of 14 states that does not require voter ID. The law passed the state legislature on August 27 before being signed by Newsom on Sunday. The law is one of several recently introduced by Democratic state lawmakers to close loopholes in election protocols.
Key Passages: The law, California SB 1174, “would prohibit a local government from enacting or enforcing any charter provision, ordinance, or regulation requiring a person to present identification for the purpose of voting,” and claims “Voter identification laws have historically been used to disenfranchise low-income voters, voters of color, voters with disabilities, and senior voters.”
How the Media Covered It: Politico (Lean Left bias) appeared to report on the law’s passage first as Newsweek’s (Center bias) coverage closely resembled its report, and Breitbart (Right bias) mentioned Politico’s report. Breitbart included the text passages from the law and described its claims about voter identification laws as being made “without evidence.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Local governments in California will be barred from establishing local laws that require residents present identification to vote in elections under a new law signed Sunday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The legislation — from state Sen. Dave Min, an Orange County Democrat running for Rep. Katie Porter’s open House seat — is a direct response to a controversial ballot measure approved this year by voters in Huntington Beach requiring people to show photo identification at the polls. It will take effect on Jan. 1.
Eric Thayer / Associated Press
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Sunday that will bar local authorities from requiring photo ID to vote, which exceeds the state’s requirements.
California is one of 14 Democrat-run states that do not require any ID to vote, despite requiring it for many other purposes. Voters at polling places are checked off against voter rolls without further proof being required; voters who submit mail-in ballots must include their signatures on the envelopes that are checked by a machine against the signatures on file in voter registration records.
The City...
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation that prevents local governments from requiring voters to present identification at the polls, a law aimed at curbing conservative efforts in cities like Huntington Beach. The new law is a response to Huntington Beach's controversial voter ID requirement, which was passed by the city's residents in March. In April, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber sued Huntington Beach to invalidate the law, arguing the local measure violated state voting protections. "The right to freely cast your vote is...
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