FACT FOCUS: It is not illegal for voters to show ID in New York and California

As the leadup to the 2026 midterm elections begins, social media users — among them billionaire X owner Elon Musk, who as a top advisor to President Donald Trump — are using false information to advocate for more voter ID laws in the U.S.

“America should not have worse voter ID requirements than every democratic country on Earth,” Musk wrote in a recent X post, which had been liked and shared approximately 310,000 times as of Wednesday. “California and New York actually banned use of ID to vote! It is illegal to show your ID in those states. The only reason to do this is fraud.”