Democracy is under attack, according to elected officials and leaders who oppose Prop. 39

A group of elected officials and leaders gathered on Tuesday to publicly oppose Proposition 39, the Voter Identification, Citizenship Verification, and Registered Voter List Administration Initiative.

Prop. 39, which will be in the November midterm elections, requires voters to present a government-issued I.D. for in-person voting or provide the last four digits of such I.D. when voting by mail.

Speaker of the California Assembly Robert Rivas said this movement is targeting California to disenfranchise Latino voters and to make them “confused, intimidated and afraid.”  

Senator Alex Padilla indicated that this move is on behalf of President Donald Trump because he “is scared” of losing votes during the midterm elections. 

“Because [it’s] not just voters; the American public is increasingly aware and increasingly hurting from his rampant corruption and his refusal to do anything to help working families in Congress,” he said. 

He said, however, that Prop. 39 will make it harder for eligible Californians to register and vote by putting more bureaucracy between an eligible voter and the ballot box.

“All because Donald Trump doesn't want to be held accountable for the policies that are making it hard for our country, " he said.

Representatives highlighted the lasting terror happening to many people targeted not just because of immigration status but also for the color of their skin. 

“If you, like me, are disgusted not just at how this administration has disrespected our diverse communities throughout the country, but how it's treating active duty service members like those on the USS Lincoln, vote no on 39," Padilla said. “Just like we did last fall with Proposition 50, this November the voters of California have a chance to fight back against Donald Trump.”

According to Ballotpedia, Prop. 39 intends to "maintain accurate voter registration lists [and]... use best efforts to verify citizenship attestations using government data” and to report each year the percentage of each county’s voter rolls that have been citizenship-verified.

If Prop. 39 passes, it will cost California’s taxpayers millions of dollars a year, said California Senate Pro Tempore Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara). 

She said Californians are already struggling and working day in and day out to address the rising costs of living. Limón, as an elected leader, said she’s working hard to maintain accessible information and critical services to the community, like healthcare access and affordability. 

“We're working to bring stability to the state and address current funding shortfalls. And in a moment like this, Prop 39 is presented as a solution, but indeed has greater problems and would be a catastrophic waste of taxpayer dollars,” said Limón. 

What would you be voting in Prop. 39, according to Ballotpedia: