New Facts: California details Prop 39 voter ID

Proposition 39 would require voters to show government-issued identification when voting in person and to write the last four digits of a government ID number on mail-ballot envelopes. Election officials would match that number to the voter’s registration record before counting the ballot. California now verifies mail ballots by comparing signatures, so this would add a numeric check and an ID-at-the-polls rule.

The measure also directs state and county officials to use government data to try to verify each registered voter’s citizenship. The state would offer free voter ID cards on request, and the State Auditor would review compliance every two years. Lawmakers would still need to define which types of identification qualify.

Ongoing implementation costs for state and local governments are projected in the tens of millions to low hundreds of millions of dollars a year, depending on how the system is built. Supporters pitch the changes as a way to keep mail voting while reducing rejections over mismatched signatures. Opponents warn that eligible voters could be blocked if they lack ID or mistype a number, and that placing personal digits on envelopes could raise identity-theft risks.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources