California voter identification and non-citizen voting disputes

California is facing legal and legislative scrutiny regarding its election processes. Proposition 39, a ballot measure, seeks to amend the state constitution to require government-issued identification for in-person voters. Under this proposition, mail-in voters would be required to provide the last four digits of a government-issued number, such as a Social Security number, on their ballot envelopes. Failure to comply would result in invalidated ballots. The measure also mandates that the state provide free voter identification cards upon request and requires election officials to use government data to verify citizenship.

Separately, the U.S. Department of Justice has challenged California’s handling of non-citizen voting. The dispute follows the DOJ providing state officials with a list of approximately 20,000 suspected non-citizens who registered to vote. While California law prohibits non-citizens from voting, the federal government has raised concerns regarding the lack of citizenship verification during the registration process. The case has moved to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, addressing whether the state must set aside ballots from suspected non-citizens.