Voter identification (ID) laws generally require a person to provide some form of official, government-issued identification to register to vote, receive an absentee ballot, or vote in a state or federal election. For example, the Help America Vote Act of 2002 is a federal law that requires voter ID for all new voters in federal elections who registered by mail and did not provide a driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number that matched government records. See 52 U.S.C. §20901.

Most states have some form of voter ID requirement, but these laws vary from state to state. Some states request or require voters to show an identification document that has a photo on it, such as a driver’s license, state-issued identification card, military ID, tribal ID, and many other forms of ID. Other states accept non-photo identification such as a bank statement with name and address or other document that does not necessarily have a photo. Voter ID laws are usually located in a state’s statutes.

In California, the state's voter identification laws are relatively lenient compared to some other states. California voters are not required to show government-issued photo identification when they vote in person. Instead, voters may be asked to provide their name and address at the polling place, and if records show they have not previously voted, they may be asked to provide a signature that matches the one on their voter registration record. For first-time voters who registered by mail and did not provide a driver’s license number, state ID number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number, they may be required to show some form of ID, which could include a photo ID or a document with their name and address, such as a utility bill or bank statement. This approach aligns with the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, which mandates ID requirements for certain new voters in federal elections. California's voter ID requirements are codified in the state's election statutes.