A new California bill won’t eliminate voter ID at polling places

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. 

The bill was drafted in response to Huntington Beach, California, passing a measure  that would supersede California state law and require voters to present their ID at the city’s polls.

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.

Only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections; Congress banned noncitizen voting in 1996. Noncitizens rarely cast ballots. Those who do face stiff penalties including deportation. 

In April, California officials sued Huntington Beach, saying its new voter ID policy conflicts with state law and would create barriers for low-income, nonwhite, young, elderly and disabled voters.

State Sen. Dave Min, D-Calif., who authored S.B. 1774, said April 2 that California "already has robust identification procedures to register to vote."

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All people who register to vote in California must sign a notice, under penalty of perjury, that states they are U.S. citizens, a California secretary of state spokesperson said. Voter registrations are then verified with the Department of Motor Vehicles’ driver's license databases and Social Security Administration information. Applicants whose information is not verified must show their IDs at the polls the first time they vote. 

Providing false voter information is a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. Voter fraud does occur in California elections, but is rare. For example, there were eight documented cases of voter fraud in California in the 2020 election, according to data from The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. 

The majority of California voters do not vote in person. Eighty-nine percent of voters in the 2024 presidential primary election voted by mail and federal law mandates that all first-time voters must show ID when requesting mail ballots. 

An Instagram post said S.B. 1174 would eliminate voter ID requirements at polling places in California. A similar one on Faceook said it would "ban voter ID statewide."

S.B. 1174 prohibits local governments from requiring voter ID at polling places, but existing state law already says that in most cases, California voters don’t need to show ID before voting at the polls. The bill was drafted in response to a Huntington Beach bill that conflicts with state law and requires voters to show ID at polling places in 2026. 

All California voters must validate their identities through a multistep process when registering to vote. Falsifying voter registration information is a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. There have been instances of voter fraud in California elections, but they are rare.

The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False.

PolitiFact Senior Correspondent Amy Sherman contributed to this report.