Could New California Illegal Migrant ID Law Open Door to Election Irregularities?

A new ID law in California has caused mixed opinions. Under the California bill AB 1766, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) should issue "a restricted identification card to an eligible applicant who is unable to submit satisfactory proof that their presence in the United States is authorized under federal law" by no later than July 1, 2027. The applicant must only provide "satisfactory proof of identity and California residency."

The bill has been applauded by Democrat authorities. "California is expanding opportunity for everyone, regardless of immigration status," California Governor Gavin Newsom said in an official statement last week. "We’re a state of refuge – a majority-minority state, where 27 percent of us are immigrants. That’s why I’m proud to announce the signing of today’s bills to further support our immigrant community, which makes our state stronger every single day."

FILE — In this July 26, 2021, file photo, Gov. Gavin Newsom appears at a news conference in Oakland, Calif. Supporters of the effort to recall Newsom are asking a court to prohibit him from calling the effort s"Republican recall" in the state's official voter guide. The lawsuit was filed by July 30, 2021, by Orrin Heatlie, the Republican activist who launched the recall effort.

The authors of the initiative, led by assembly member Mark Stone (D-Monterey Bay), observed in February 2022 that identification cards are "passports to economic and societal participation," with IDs allowing one to open a bank account, obtain benefits, access healthcare, secure housing and employment, "and much more."

"Lack of identification is one of the largest barriers to success into the community because IDs are essential to securing employment, housing, and social services," Stone said. "AB 1766 is an essential gateway to social inclusion and should be a basic necessity that every resident has access to."

Previously, undocumented immigrants were able to obtain a restricted driver’s license under the AB 60 legislation passed in the Golden State in 2013 but were ineligible for a California ID. However, AB 60 left those who did not have meaningful access to a car or did not have the ability to take a driving test out in the cold, argued Democratic lawmakers. In theory, undocumented people could use a passport or consulate ID to corroborate their identities, however, this was "an often risky 'outing' process for those who are not legally present in the United States," the authors of the initiative wrote. Having enacted AB 1766, California would become "the first state in the nation to allow people who are undocumented to obtain a non-license, standard identification card."

US conservatives, however, do not share the enthusiasm of the California Democrats. Right-leaning Daily Wire and Breitbart immediately drew attention to previous election controversies involving the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Their criticisms stem from California's 2017 "Motor Voter" program which automatically registers driving license holders to vote.

In 2018, the DMV revealed that it had improperly registered 1500 people to vote in the primary elections in California between April and September. The DMV also acknowledged making other mistakes in almost 23,000 voter registrations ahead of the 2018 midterms.

"Elections officials canceled the [errant] registrations. And though absentee ballots will begin going out this week, they said the bar code on each individual ballot would ensure that no votes would be tallied on election day," the Los Angeles Times reported on October 8, 2018. "In addition to the 23,000 registration errors disclosed last month, the system mistakenly sent out double registration forms for some Californians who had visited the DMV in the spring."

Honduran migrants help each other to cross over the U.S. border wall to San Diego, California, from Tijuana, Mexico, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018

Breitbart noted that prior to the 2018 midterms, critics had raised concerns that coupled with the "Motor Voter" initiative, the state's law allowing illegal aliens to get driver's licenses could pave the way to election irregularities. "While the state says that no illegal aliens were registered to vote, at least one legal alien was confirmed as having been registered," the media outlet highlighted in October 2018.

California has repeatedly come under criticism from the GOP and conservative observers for lax election laws. In January 2022, The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, DC, published an Election Integrity Scorecard of 50 states and the District of Columbia on their election laws.

The chart focuses on states' voter ID implementation; the accuracy of voter registration lists; absentee ballot management; vote harvesting restrictions; access of poll watchers; and verification of citizenship among other issues. California was ranked 49th in the list, having one of the lowest scores in terms of election integrity, according to the conservative think tank.

In addition, conservative observers have criticized the Democratic administration for reversing Donald Trump's immigration restrictions amid the ongoing border crisis. Some conservatives are also suggesting that the Dems are intentionally flooding the nation with immigrants in order to change the demographic composition of some states and beef up their electoral base. Thus, in April 2021, Fox News host Tucker Carlson suggested that the Democratic Party is "importing a brand new electorate," insisting immigrants are deliberately being used to dilute the power of eligible voters.