Argument for
By Margit Whitlock, Democratic Coalition Chair, Californians for Voter ID; Tafa Jefferson, Republican Coalition Chair, Californians for Voter ID; Joe Green, Independent Coalition Chair, Californians for Voter ID
Bandwagon AppealExaggeration/HyperboleGlittering Generalities
VOTER ID: A BIPARTISAN WAY TO INCREASE TRUST IN OUR ELECTIONS
Democratic, Independent, and Republican voters all agree on one thing: Voter ID is a common-sense reform to increase trust and participation in our elections. That’s why almost half the signatures to put Prop. 39 on the ballot came from Democratic and Independent voters and polls show widespread super-majority support across all political parties for Voter ID.
Bandwagon Appeal · “Democratic, Independent, and Republican voters all agree on one thing”, “polls show widespread super-majority support across all political parties for Voter ID” — Claims all voters across parties agree, implying the view must be correct because of universal support.
Exaggeration/Hyperbole · “all agree on one thing” — Asserts unanimous agreement among all voters of every party, an overstatement beyond evidence.
Glittering Generalities · “common-sense reform to increase trust and participation in our elections” — Uses vague positive framing like 'common-sense reform' and 'trust and participation' without substance.
PROP. 39 KEEPS VOTING ACCESSIBLE AND GUARANTEES A FREE VOTER ID
Prop. 39 keeps mail ballots, extended polling hours and all other conveniences in place for voting accessibility.
Voters can use a variety of easily-obtained government IDs to vote—and this measure even guarantees every voter a FREE Voter ID if they want one.
California currently uses a slow process to check signatures on mail ballots that not only delays election results but also puts your vote at risk of not being counted if your signature is flagged as not matching. Many voters say they cannot always remember how they signed their name years ago when they first registered to vote. In the last election, more than 100,000 ballots were rejected due to signature mismatches—and more than 200,000 voters endured hassles just to get their vote to count.
VOTER ID INCREASES PARTICIPATION
Voter ID does not suppress voting—in fact it increases voter participation. Every state with Voter ID laws and free identification for eligible voters that cannot afford or access identification, has seen an increase in voting. Suppression and lower turnout happen when voters do not have trust and confidence in the integrity of the process. Voter ID gives all voters a reason to trust that their vote will matter.
PROP. 39 INCLUDES AUDITS AND CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION
Prop. 39 holds election officials accountable for keeping California’s voter lists accurate and updated. Election officials will also be required to check voter rolls to ensure only citizens are registered. Prop. 39 requires an independent audit be conducted every two years to give the public the confidence they deserve in the way our elections are conducted.
YES ON PROP. 39: FOR A NON-PARTISAN SOLUTION TO VOTER ID
Politicians and partisan organizations who oppose Prop. 39 are desperately trying to inject toxic partisanship into this debate. That’s because they benefit from unfounded election conspiracy theories and rapidly declining trust in our elections.
In contrast, supporters of Prop. 39 include solid majorities of Democratic, Republican and Independent voters and a diverse coalition including Latino American Political Association, California Women’s Leadership Association, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the Transparency Foundation, and trusted voting rights organizations. Vote YES on Prop. 39 to create a national model for implementing Voter ID in a bipartisan way.
From voterguide.sos.ca.gov, the official voter guide.