BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Dozens of Kern County residents gathered at a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce meeting to discuss Proposition 39, which would require citizens to show proof of identification for in-person voting or provide the last 4 digits of a government-issued ID when voting by mail.

Community advocate Nadine Escalante expressed concern that the measure could reduce accessibility for mail-in voters.

"Especially if you're disabled or senior citizens or low income communities who do not have transportation," Escalante said.

Cathy Abernathy, who represents the Republican Party, said voting yes on Prop. 39 is a step toward a more secure voting system.

"Going back to how it was a couple years ago, that you have to show who you are when you vote. Period — and that's not hard to do," Abernathy said.

Abernathy also said passing Prop. 39 would help polling offices sort through accepted and returned ballots more efficiently.

"It would give confidence that only citizens are registered to vote in California," Abernathy said.

Christian Romo, who represents the Democratic Party, holds a different perspective.

"This just strips people's rights away to vote," Romo said.

Romo said he hopes residents will vote no on Prop. 39, calling it a step backwards.

"It's going to take us back 50 years and stop very small portions of people from voting," Romo said.

Despite their differences on Prop. 39, both Abernathy and Romo agreed on the need for greater transparency in the voting process. Romo said Kern County has room to improve in that area.

"Here in Kern County, we need to be better at being transparent of what ballots are left to be counted and why they were challenged and the process of how they get challenged or not," Romo said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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