House Democrats’ No. 3 leader is under fire for his opposition to voter ID in his home state of California. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., spoke at a press conference earlier this month criticizing a measure on Californians’ ballot this Election Day that, if passed, would mandate that voters show government-issued photo ID at the polls. He made the comments just weeks before the Department of Justice announced a crime bust that saw several U.S. permanent residents accused of registering to vote despite not being citizens.
Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., hammered Aguilar’s opposition to voter ID and argued the DOJ’s recent actions made it “obvious” that the ballot measure, called Proposition 39, was needed.
“Give me a break,” Calvert said. “You have to show an ID to board an airplane, cash a paycheck, rent an apartment, or even buy cold medicine at the grocery store. Democrats claiming that requiring photo ID before casting a ballot is somehow ‘racist’ or ‘voter suppression’ is complete nonsense and an insult to every voter’s intelligence.”
Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., said voter ID “is basic election security that the vast majority of Americans support, and 36 states already require.”
“While opponents are resorting to lies and fearmongering, Proposition 39 is commonsense reform in a world where you need an ID to rent a car, stay at a hotel, open a bank account, or board a flight,” Fong said. “The DOJ’s recent voter fraud bust in California is exactly why these safeguards matter.”
Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., similarly said showing photo ID is a “simple standard we already require to board a plane, purchase alcohol, or pick up a prescription.”
“This isn’t controversial and it shouldn’t be complicated. Our elections deserve at least as much consideration as a beer or a bottle of wine,” Kim said.
Aguilar, meanwhile, criticized Proposition 39 during a press conference with Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former Biden administration Cabinet Secretary Xavier Becerra earlier this month.
“We will not stand for this, because we will not stand for people to lose an opportunity to exercise their ability to vote. In Arizona, they tried this. They wanted folks to put their driver’s license numbers on their ballots. Think about that. What if you miss one digit? Your vote doesn’t count?” Aguilar proposed. “What if you’re married in California? What if you’re married, and you haven’t changed your name and you go to vote? No longer will you be able to vote. That is what is at stake for Californians.”
He called it a “voter suppression effort” pushed by Republicans.
“Republicans can win only when they suppress the vote. Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans know that they are bankrupt of ideas and solutions, and so they have to change the rules of the game,” Aguilar said.
Meanwhile, the California government criticized the DOJ’s operation while pointing to reports that said more of those charged were registered as Republicans rather than Democrats.
“For nearly a decade, Trump has baselessly alleged mass voter fraud rings were employed by Democrats and utilized ‘illegal immigrants’ to sway elections across the country — often pointing to California,” a release on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s state website read. “Courts at all levels have rejected the claims of vast voter fraud or that elections were rigged against the President.”
Voter ID laws currently exist in 36 states and polls have shown they have a majority of Americans’ support. But in Congress, several efforts to pass federal voter ID legislation have been thwarted by Democrats in recent years.
