A proposal that would prohibit local governments in California from enacting voter ID laws cleared the Senate floor May 21 on a 30-8 vote.

Senate Bill 1174, authored by Sen. Dave Min, would block all cities—including charter cities, which have more control over their affairs—from requiring individuals to present government issued identification before voting or submitting ballots at polling locations.

The author said the bill is needed to create a statewide standard and to prevent cities across the state from enacting their own policies which he believes could create uncertainty and inequality.

“SB 1174 would try to address this matter and ensure that local jurisdictions cannot impose their own voter ID requirements to try to engage in culture wars and try to disenfranchise voters,” Mr. Min said on the Senate floor May 21.

He suggested the push for voter ID laws in some cities and states across the country are the result of questions lingering from the 2020 presidential election.

“This big lie has been an unfortunate part of a narrative driven by Donald Trump and certain of his supporters to try to cast aspersions on the integrity of elections, even when we have not seen any evidence to show that widespread voter ID is an issue,” Mr. Min said in the bill’s April 2 hearing of the Senate’s Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee. “And yet, nonetheless, we have seen voter ID laws pass in a number of states which harken back to an era of Jim Crow type barriers to voting.”

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