Voters need to show identification to vote in the 2020 election in Ruckersville, Va. Studies show voter fraud is rare, while the debate over ID laws is divisive.

This column is a waste of your time.

Because it’s about voter ID. And even a minute spent debating voter ID is a minute lost forever.

Unfortunately, California is joining a pointless national debate over whether to require voters to show government-issued identification when they vote.

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The occasion is a ballot initiative proposal from Assembly Member Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego.

The Life Is Not Short and These Are Not Dangerous Times So Let’s Focus on Trivia Initiative (that’s my name for it — its real name the CA Voter ID Initiative) is being circulated for signatures to qualify for November’s ballot.

Under current law, when Californians register to vote, we must affirm under penalty of perjury that we are U.S. citizens and must provide verification information, including our dates of birth, Social Security numbers or driver’s licenses.

The initiative goes further, adding a state constitutional amendment requiring voters to present either government-issued identification at the polls or the last four digits of a government-issued ID (probably your Social Security number) when voting by mail.

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Proponents of the initiative say that voter ID is necessary to prevent voter fraud.

Opponents of the initiative say that voter ID will lead to voter suppression.

Both are wrong.

Voter ID doesn’t prevent voter fraud for two reasons.

First, there is precious little voter fraud in this country.........

© San Francisco Chronicle