Gavin Newsom signs law that bars local govts from asking voters for ID at polls, Elon Musk says, ‘Joker is in charge’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill into law barring local governments from enacting laws that require residents to provide a valid form of identification to vote. This law happens to be a direct response to a ballot initiative that voters in the coastal California city of Huntington Beach approved.

Elon Musk took to X to share the news, blasting the measure. “Wow, it is now illegal to require voter ID in California! They just made PREVENTING voter fraud against the law. The Joker is in charge,” he wrote.

‘The right to freely cast your vote is the foundation of our democracy’

Back in March, 53.4% of residents voted to adopt a ballot measure that says all residents seeking to cast a ballot in municipal elections will have to show a valid ID. However, after the measure passed, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber went on to sue the city to bar officials from enforcing it.

“The right to freely cast your vote is the foundation of our democracy and Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy flies in the face of this principle,” Bonta said in a statement when the lawsuit was filed. “State election law already contains robust voter ID requirements with strong protections to prevent voter fraud, while ensuring that every eligible voter can cast their ballot without hardship. Imposing unnecessary obstacles to voter participation disproportionately burdens low-income voters, voters of color, young or elderly voters, and people with disabilities.”

The lawsuit then went through courts. Meanwhile, the California Assembly passed a bill to ban local governments, such as Huntington Beach, from imposing voter identification requirements in municipal elections. The bill had been introduced by state Sen. David Min.

“We cannot have 100 different charter cities making up 100 different sets of voting rules, based on fringe conspiracy theories,” Min previously said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I have repeatedly told the Huntington Beach City Council members pushing this issue that if they were to produce any evidence of widespread voter fraud, I would lead efforts to change California’s voter eligibility rules.”

California’s new law is currently in effect. However, Huntington Beach has still not responded to the lawsuit Weber and Bonta had filed.