Excerpt:

Voter ID remains a contentious topic in U.S. elections, and a new California bill related to the practice has become the target of misinformation.

"SB 1174 was just passed in California, and it opens the door for illegal immigrants to vote by eliminating the requirement for voter ID at polling places,"  read a screenshot of an X post shared on Instagram.

The Instagram post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.) We also saw a Facebook post that said the bill would "ban voter ID statewide."

These claims are misleading and lack context about California’s current voter ID laws.

Senate Bill 1174 prohibits local governments from requiring voter ID at polling places, but existing state law already says that, in most cases, California voters needn’t show ID before voting at the polls. The Legislature passed the bill in August, and it awaits Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval. 

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By state law, however, California voters need to show ID to polling place workers only if they are voting for the first time after registering to vote by mail and did not provide a valid form of ID on their registration form, a California secretary of state spokesperson said in an email. 

S.B. 1174 would block Huntington Beach’s voter ID requirement, which is to take effect in 2026.

"If enacted into law, SB 1774 will reduce potential voter confusion that could result from having local election procedures in place that conflict with state law," said Kim Alexander, president of the voting rights nonprofit California Voter Foundation. 

Voter ID is hotly debated in U.S. politics. Opponents say tighter laws make voting less accessible, especially for minorities, young people, low-income voters and people with disabilities. Proponents of tighter rules say requiring voter ID can prevent fraud. (Full Story)