California Republicans Hit House Democratic Leader Pete Aguilar on Voter ID After a DOJ Noncitizen Voting Bust
Reps. Calvert, Fong and Kim say the Justice Department's case against noncitizens registered to vote proves Proposition 39 is needed. Aguilar called the photo ID measure a 'voter suppression effort' earlier this month.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar is taking fire from fellow Californians in Congress over his opposition to a voter ID measure on the state's November ballot. Fox News reports the criticism follows a Justice Department case against several permanent residents accused of registering to vote though they are not citizens.
What Aguilar said. At a press conference earlier this month with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra, Aguilar attacked Proposition 39, which would require government-issued photo ID to vote. He called it a "voter suppression effort." He argued that people could lose their votes over small errors and asked about married women who have not changed their names. He also said, "Republicans can win only when they suppress the vote."
The Republican response. Rep. Ken Calvert said, "Give me a break," listing the places Americans already show ID: airplanes, paycheck cashing, apartment rentals and cold medicine. Rep. Vince Fong called voter ID "basic election security" and said 36 states already require it. Rep. Young Kim said showing photo ID is a "simple standard," adding that elections deserve at least as much consideration as "a beer or a bottle of wine." Fong pointed to the DOJ case as the reason such safeguards matter.
The state's reply. Fox says Gov. Gavin Newsom's office criticized the DOJ operation. A release on the state's website said Trump has "baselessly alleged" mass voter fraud for nearly a decade and that courts have rejected the claims. The state also pointed to reports that more of the people charged were registered as Republicans than as Democrats. We have not seen those reports.
Where voter ID stands. Fox says 36 states have voter ID laws and that polls show majority support. Efforts to pass a federal law have been blocked by Democrats in recent years. Fox reached out to Aguilar's campaign for a response and did not report one.
Note for readers: this story rests on Republican lawmakers' statements, which Fox collected, and on charges in a DOJ case. Charges are allegations, not findings.