Candidates differ on voter ID measure and election procedures in California governor race
Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican candidate Steve Hilton appeared in Southern California on Tuesday to address election procedures and a proposed voter ID ballot measure. Becerra defended current processes while Hilton called for changes including voter identification requirements.
Los Angeles TimesDemocrat Xavier Becerra and Republican candidate Steve Hilton appeared less than 20 miles apart in Southern California on Tuesday to discuss election procedures one week after a contentious primary election. Becerra defended the integrity of the state's elections and argued that proposed restrictions would disenfranchise many voters.
He questioned whether Hilton could be trusted to protect the state against fraud claims. Hilton said he has not seen any evidence of impropriety in this month's election results and called for electoral reform, including supporting a voter identification requirement that will appear on the November ballot.
Positions on proposed changes Hilton also advocated ending mail ballots being sent to every registered voter and no longer counting ballots that are received after election day. He said voter ID is the biggest, quickest, simplest thing that can be done to restore faith in the system.
Becerra criticized the proposed voter ID ballot measure, arguing that it would create hurdles for many Californians to participate in the democratic electoral process. He said he is against voter suppression and anything that would limit a Californian's right to vote.
Becerra acknowledged concern over the lengthy time that it takes to count votes in California and suggested one issue is a lack of workers and equipment at county vote-counting centers.
Background and public confidence The attacks on the elections process by President Trump and his supporters appear to have a major effect on people's confidence in the system. A poll released Friday by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley found that 41% of California voters were not confident that this year's elections would be free of federal interference.
Among Democratic registered voters, 79% said they trusted elections officials to provide an accurate vote count. Among Republicans, 55% said they were not confident that would occur, the survey found.
