A proposition backed by the Trump administration that would have required California voters to show identification at the polls has failed.
Republican State Senator Carl DeMaio spearheaded Prop. 39. He, blames the loss in part on the ballot title and ads tying the proposition to Trump.
"This was a wave election," said DeMaio. "Republicans got punished all around the country and this wave really hampered our ability to pass Prop. 39."
DeMaio signaled he’ll keep pushing for voter ID requirements, likely through legislation or another ballot measure.
California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks says defeating Prop. 39 was a major priority.
"The defeat of Proposition 39 is incredibly important," Hicks said, "not just for our party, but in many ways for Californians."
Thad Kousser with the Center for Transparent and Trusted Elections at UC San Diego says the result reflects competing concerns among voters, noting that the measure’s focus on noncitizen voting appealed more to Republicans.
"But the Democrats and Independents are much more worried about eligible voters being prevented from casting ballots," said Kousser. "And for them Prop. 39 wasn’t a solution, it was actually potentially more of the problem."
Voter ID measures were approved in Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio.
But voters in Arizona and Colorado rejected proposals to add new identification requirements, including for mail-in voting.