The Liberty Daily 
(The Daily Signal)—Could a grown man who looks nothing like celebrity Sydney Sweeney vote under her name in California?
A new ad by the Proposition 39 campaign dramatizes that scenario to spotlight the state’s lack of a voter ID requirement, encouraging voters to “Vote Yes on Prop 39.”
Can someone pretend to be a voter that they are not in California, as claimed in the ad? The answer is yes—though not legally.
According to the California Secretary of State, under California law, “In most cases, a California voter is not required to show identification to a polling place worker before casting a ballot.”
The exception is for some first-time voters. Even then, photo ID is not necessarily required because a copy of a recent utility bill, the sample ballot booklet received from a county elections office, or another document sent by a government agency are “acceptable forms of identification.”
However, stating a name that matches the roster and signing is enough to receive a ballot.
On the November ballot, Proposition 39 would prohibit citizens from voting unless they present government-issued identification. It also would also invalidate mail-in ballots that don’t have the last four digits of a designated government-issued identification number on the envelope.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton shared the Sydney Sweeney video on X, calling it a “brilliant ad.”
“Common sense is on the ballot in this election—and not just in the governor’s race. YES on Voter ID!” Hilton posted.
A September poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found 55% of likely voters would vote “no” on Proposition 39, while 43% said they would vote “yes.”
