California Governor signed a bill at the end of last month, which prohibits checking identification during elections in violation of California law, causing public backlash. This Monday (7th), Chinese American lawyer in Southern California and a candidate for California’s 49th Congressional District, Liu Longzhu, announced that he will file a lawsuit against the bill in federal court.
Liu Longzhu stated at a press conference that he officially decided to file the lawsuit at 5:00 PM on Sunday (6th), saying, “We will ask the federal judge to rule as quickly as possible on the validity of this law or its invalidity.”
Regarding the reasons for the lawsuit, Liu Longzhu pointed out that according to the U.S. Constitution, only American citizens are eligible to vote. The SB1174 bill allows people who cannot provide identification to vote, which would seriously undermine the legitimacy of the voting process and infringe on the foundation of American democracy.
He said, “If we want the United States to continue to uphold democratic freedom, we must file a lawsuit.”
Liu Longzhu emphasized from a legal perspective that integrity is the foundation of elections. “As a lawyer, I have sworn to defend the constitutions of America and California; the governor has made the same commitment. But unlike the governor, I feel it necessary to take immediate action to protect the integrity of our elections.” As a candidate for Congress, he hopes to ensure that election results are determined only by eligible citizens of the state.
The SB1174 bill was proposed by three Democratic state assembly members in response to a policy passed by Huntington Beach City in March, which requires voters to present valid photo identification in municipal elections.
The bill proposes that according to current California law, voters must provide either a driver’s license number, California identification card number, or the last four digits of their social security number to register to vote; the state government also uses signature verification checks, mandatory partial recounts, and ballot tracking to ensure the integrity of elections.
The proponents of the bill believe that the current voter identification laws “place the burden of proving identity and voting rights on the voter,” even if they have already proven their identity during registration. They argue that the current laws are used to strip voting rights from low-income, minority, disabled, and elderly voters, obstructing their participation in voting and affecting voter turnout; while the SB1174 bill can ensure fair elections.
David Min, one of the drafters of the bill and a State Senator from Irvine, stated in a declaration after the bill was passed by the California Assembly, that if the Huntington City Councilmembers pushing for voter ID checks can provide any evidence of widespread voter fraud, he “will lead efforts to change California’s voter eligibility rules.”
David Milton, a former judge for 24 years in Los Angeles Superior Court and a prosecutor for 12 years, came to the press conference to support Liu Longzhu. He believes that regardless of being Democratic or Republican voters, everyone deserves fair elections and does not want their voting rights violated. “We request federal and state court judges to stop everything (the new policy).”
Liu Longzhu emphasized the importance and urgency of the lawsuit: if a federal court judge rules to make the new law prohibiting voter ID checks invalid, it will change the election landscape in California; whether electing mayors, prosecutors, or legislators, all will be legally protected, ultimately affecting the election landscape nationwide. ◇