February 19, 2005

SB 226: State Bill to Require Voter ID

Senator Cox has introduced SB 226, which requires a voter to present proof of his or her identity and residency to a member of the precinct board in order to receive a ballot. The bill specifies the types of identification documents that could be used. In addition, the bill authorizes the Secretary of State to designate other forms of acceptable identification. If a voter did not have proper identification or proof of residency, the voter would cast a provisional ballot. The bill does not specify the standards election officials would use to determine whether to count such provisional ballots.

Update: Assembly Member Wyland has introduced AB 934. In addition to requiring ID at the time of voting, this bill would require individuals to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote and require election officials to maintain the evidence submitted for a period of two years. It would also require persons who vote by absentee ballot to include evidence of their identification on the absentee ballot envelope.

Second Update: Assembly Member Keene has introduced AB 1006, which is similar to Senator Cox's bill.

Posted by Randy Riddle at February 19, 2005 09:47 AM