California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took aim at Proposition 39 in San Francisco on Friday, with Pelosi criticizing voter ID requirements as “obstacles” to voting.

Yet the backdrop in California’s election administration shows why Prop 39 is needed. Last week, the Department of Justice charged 28 people with federal election-related crimes, and 11 were arrested. The 28 were among more than 20,000 registrants flagged as likely noncitizens.

Following the arrests, Los Angeles County officials admitted: “they have no independent way to verify citizenship beyond what voters attest.” Meanwhile, California argued in a Saturday court filing that “when it comes to the rules of election administration, the federal government has no power to interfere with the States unless Congress passes a law governing the time, place, or manner of elections.”

If California’s liberal leaders want the federal government out of their elections, shouldn’t that give them all the more reason to support safeguards like Proposition 39, rather than label it an “obstacle”?

Their opposition to voter ID is nothing new.

Back in 2024, Huntington Beach voters approved Measure A with 53.4 percent of the vote. The measure would have allowed the city to require identification at the polls in municipal........

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