# Prop 39: Voter ID and citizenship verification

URL: https://www.californiapeople.org/props/prop-39

- number: 39
- title: Voter ID and citizenship verification
- type: Initiative constitutional amendment
- sponsor: Reform California / Asm. Carl DeMaio (R)

**Our read: Lean no.** Voter ID plus an ID number on mail ballots. Texas rejected 1 in 8 mail ballots when it tried this; fraud runs about 4 per 10 million.

## Key findings
- **The closest test case is Texas.** When it began requiring an ID number on mail ballots in 2022, **12.4% of mail ballots were rejected** in the March primary (1 in 8), up from under 1% in 2020. By November the rate fell to **2.7%** as voters adjusted. [^1][^2]
- California already rejects about **1.7% of mail ballots** (148,241 in the June 2026 primary), mostly for arriving late. Brookings found about **4 fraud cases per 10 million mail ballots**. [^1][^3]
- About **13M of 16M** Californians voted by mail in 2024, so the ID-number rule would reach about 80% of voters. [^4]
- **$17M** of the Yes money came from one Illinois billionaire, Richard Uihlein. [^5][^6] By Oct 26 the Yes side reported $39.5M. [^7]
- The sponsor's PAC network raised **$5M in 2024**. A sworn complaint pending at the FPPC alleges DeMaio used Reform California money to help his own Assembly campaign. Four earlier FPPC probes ended in two warnings and two findings of no violation. [^6][^8]

## Track record
| Place / year | Rule | Mail ballot rejection rate |
|---|---|---|
| Texas, 2020 general | Signature only | under 1% |
| Texas, Mar 2022 primary | New ID-number rule (SB 1) | **12.4%** |
| Texas, Nov 2022 general | Same rule, after voter outreach | 2.7% |
| California, June 2026 primary | Signature check | 1.73% (63% of those for lateness) |
| **California, Prop 39** | ID number on every mail envelope | Unknown; the LAO says ID numbers must be verified before ballots are counted |

## What it does
- In-person voters must show government ID. The state must issue a free ID card on request. [^4]
- Every mail-ballot envelope needs the last 4 digits of a government ID chosen at registration. Existing voters must pick one too. [^4]
- Officials must try to verify citizenship against government data and report county rates each year. The Legislature fills in the details. [^4]
- Cost: tens of millions to low hundreds of millions a year. [^4]

## Money and conflicts
- **Yes $39.5M across 2 committees** as of Oct 26 [^7]. As of early October: Uihlein $17M, Steven Bray $3M+ in loans, Nicole Shanahan $370K, the Winklevoss twins $250K each. [^5][^6]
- **No $33.3M across 10 committees** as of Oct 26 [^7]. Top donors: CA Democratic Party ~$5.5M, Graton Rancheria $2M, Patty Quillin and Quinn Delaney $1.5M each, SEIU $1M. Becerra and Speaker Rivas run a joint No committee. [^5][^6]
- Political scientist David McCuan says the donors may be testing a playbook for swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. [^5][^6]

## Does it solve a lasting problem?
- Most states require some ID at the polls [^6], and confidence in elections is a real issue. But the documented fraud it targets is rare, and the main measurable effect, based on Texas, is a temporary rise in rejected legitimate mail ballots.

## If you vote yes: accountability
**Bottom line:** The measure leaves the hard details to the Legislature: which databases count for checking citizenship, and **what happens when a mail ballot's ID number is missing or doesn't match**. [^4] Those rules will decide how many legal votes get rejected. In Texas, 12.4% of mail ballots were rejected the first time a similar rule applied. [^1]

### Who's accountable
- **The Legislature** must write the rules, including whether voters get a chance to fix ("cure") a missing or wrong ID number. [^4]
- **The Secretary of State** oversees statewide elections. That race (Weber vs. Wagner) is on this ballot.
- **County registrars** verify ID numbers and citizenship. In Rancho Cucamonga, that's the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters.
- **The State Auditor** must report on state and county compliance every odd-numbered year. [^4]

### What to ask for
- A cure process for every rejected ballot, with notice by mail, text and email, and a deadline after Election Day.
- County-by-county reports of rejected ballots by reason, published before and after each election.
- Free ID cards that are easy to get, since the state must provide them on request. [^4]

### Public records to request (CPRA)
Anyone can file a California Public Records Act request (the state's version of FOIA), with no reason required. Agencies must respond within 10 days, or 24 in unusual cases. [^9]

> **To the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters:** Under the California Public Records Act (Gov. Code § 7920.000 et seq.), I request the number of vote-by-mail ballots challenged and rejected in the November 2024 and June 2026 elections, by reason (late, signature mismatch, missing signature, other), and the number later cured.

## Both sides
- **For:** CA Republican Party, Reform California. Basic ID is normal elsewhere and builds trust.
- **Against:** ACLU, Common Cause, League of Women Voters, CA Democratic Party, Sacramento Bee. It solves a non-problem and disenfranchises mail voters.
- Poll: 43% support (PPIC, Sept 2026).

## Official voter guide (condensed) with annotations
- Official title: Prohibits Citizens From Voting Unless They Present Government-Issued Identification. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
- Summary: "Invalidates mail ballots that do not have last four digits of designated government-issued identification number." In-person voters must show government-issued ID.
- Fiscal impact: "Costs of between tens of millions of dollars and low hundreds of millions" a year.
- A YES vote means: Voters would be required to present additional identifying information to elections officials each time they vote.
- A NO vote means: A voter's identity would continue to be established with the voter's signature.
- Argument for: "Yes on Prop. 39 gives California a BIPARTISAN solution for VOTER ID." Increases trust and confidence in elections.
- Argument against: Adds costly, unnecessary barriers that "could block eligible California voters, expose personal information to identity theft." "Don't let MAGA billionaires decide which voters count."
- Supporters: The Transparency Foundation, Latino American Political Assn, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn
- Opponents: ACLU California Action, Common Cause, League of Women Voters of CA

Annotations (what the booklet leaves out):
- (summary) The big practical effect is on mail ballots, which about 13 million of 16 million Californians used in 2024. Every existing voter would have to pick an ID number to write on future envelopes. [^4]
- (pro) "Bipartisan": the measure was created and is led by Reform California and Asm. Carl DeMaio (R). Its largest donor is Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein ($17M). [^5]
- (con) "MAGA billionaires" is campaign language. The No side is funded too: $33.6M, led by the CA Democratic Party (~$5.5M). [^5]
- (general) Studies find no widespread voter fraud for this to fix. Most states require some ID at the polls. [^5]

## Sources
[^1]: KSAT/AP, Texas rejections (Apr 6, 2022). https://www.ksat.com/news/texas/2022/04/06/more-than-12-of-mail-in-ballots-were-rejected-in-texas-under-new-gop-voting-rules-final-tally-shows/
[^2]: electionline, Texas Nov 2022. https://electionline.org/?p=9132
[^3]: AP via ABC7, CA rejected ballots (July 2026). https://abc7.com/post/150000-mail-ballots-rejected-californias-primary-despite-efforts-count-every-vote/19571066/
[^4]: LAO. https://lao.ca.gov/ballot/2026/prop39-110326.pdf
[^5]: KQED/CalMatters on funders (Oct 7, 2026). https://www.kqed.org/news/12103398/why-are-out-of-state-billionaires-funding-a-california-voter-id-measure
[^6]: CalMatters guide. https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/proposition-39-voter-id/
[^7]: Ballotpedia News, 2026 ballot measure fundraising (Oct 26, 2026). https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/10/26/with-798-9-million-in-contributions-and-counting-2026-is-the-most-expensive-ballot-measure-election-cycle-in-california/
[^8]: CalMatters via inewsource on Reform California (Mar 4, 2026). https://inewsource.org/2026/03/04/carl-demaio-reform-california-republican-party/
[^9]: First Amendment Coalition, CPRA deadlines. https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/resources/explainers/explainer-cpra-delays
[^10]: CA SoS contributions. https://www.sos.ca.gov/campaign-lobbying/helpful-resources/measure-contributions/2026-ballot-measure-contribution-totals/proposition-39-establishes-additional-voter-identification-and-citizenship-verification-requirements-initiative-constitutional-a