{"id":2582656,"date":"2026-03-22T16:13:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T20:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stephen-a-smith-stunned-when-kevin-kiley-tells-him-california-bans-voter-id-requirements\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T16:14:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T20:14:23","slug":"stephen-a-smith-stunned-when-kevin-kiley-tells-him-california-bans-voter-id-requirements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stephen-a-smith-stunned-when-kevin-kiley-tells-him-california-bans-voter-id-requirements\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen A. Smith Stunned When Kevin Kiley Tells Him California Bans Voter ID Requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fstephen-a-smith-stunned-when-kevin-kiley-tells-him-california-bans-voter-id-requirements%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2582656&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed senate Bill 1174 in September 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-abbott-bans-schools-and-local-officials-from-requiring-masks-threatens-1000-fine\/\" title=\"Gov. Abbott Bans Schools And Local Officials From Requiring Masks, Threatens ,000 Fine\">barring local governments<\/a> from mandating that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/queen-announces-british-voter-id-policy-washington-post-rushes-to-mock-conservatives-and-accuse-monarchy-of-racism\/\" title=\"Queen Announces British ... Policy, Washington Post Rushes To Mock Conservatives And Accuse Monarchy Of \u2018Racism\u2019\">voters present identification<\/a>.In discussion of the issue,Rep. Kiley supported voter-ID requirements and cited the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. Host Smith asked kiley to explain California\u2019s voter-ID rules. Kiley asserted that California does not require voter ID to register or to vote, and that the state even passed a law forbidding voter ID, prompting disbelief from Smith.The piece notes that President Donald Trump advocated for the SAVE America Act, which would mandate documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration and require photo ID for federal elections, and would remove non-citizens from federal voter rolls. It also mentions that Kiley announced on March 6 that he would run as an self-reliant after previously serving as a Republican.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1174 in September 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org\/bills\/ca_202320240sb1174\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org\/bills\/ca_202320240sb1174\">barring<\/a> local governments from <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >mandating voters present identification<\/a>. Kiley highlighted the issue when Smith <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/1YObp8oDuYfvlB4BAs4kOa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">asked<\/a> on his show whether he supported the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m for it &hellip; I think the fact that we don&rsquo;t have voter ID in places like California is extremely unusual in democracies across the globe &hellip; I think we should just have it &hellip; It shouldn&rsquo;t be a big, controversial issue,&rdquo; Kiley said.<\/p>\n<p>Smith asked Kiley to explain California&rsquo;s voter ID rules.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;California does not have voter ID. You don&rsquo;t need to present it to register. You don&rsquo;t need to present it to vote,&rdquo; Kiley said. &ldquo;As a matter of fact, the state passed a law forbidding voter ID.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What!? When did that happen!?&rdquo; Smith shouted. Kiley noted that it was a relatively recent development and provided context on it.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Smith suggested the California law provided ammunition for Republicans to champion the SAVE Act.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe it,&rdquo; the host said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t even know that, sir, I&rsquo;m embarrassed to admit.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Smith also asserted it was &ldquo;ridiculous&rdquo; not to require identification to vote in elections during a March 10 interview on &ldquo;Hang Out with Sean Hannity.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, President Donald Trump wrote in a March 8  <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116193527873859174\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116193527873859174\">post<\/a> that he would not sign any legislation until the passage of the SAVE America Act, which would mandate documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration and require photo identification for federal elections. It would also direct states to verify citizenship and remove non-citizens from federal voter rolls.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Kiley announced on March 6 that he would run as an independent after previously serving as a Republican in a last-ditch effort to rescue his long-shot candidacy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In September 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed SB 1174, which prevents local governments from mandating that voters show identification. On his show, Kiley supported the idea and said he backs the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. He argued that California\u2019s lack of voter ID is unusual for democracies and that ID requirements should exist. Smith asked Kiley to explain California\u2019s voter ID rules; Kiley replied that California does not require ID to register or to vote and noted that the state has even prohibited voter ID. Smith reacted with disbelief at how recently this change had occurred. The conversation suggested that California\u2019s position could be used by Republicans to advocate for the SAVE Act. In separate remarks, Smith called the lack of voter ID \u201cridiculous\u201d during a March 10 appearance on Hang Out with Sean Hannity. Additionally, President Donald Trump stated on March 8 that he would not sign any legislation until the SAVE America Act-requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration and photo ID for federal elections-passes, and would push states to verify citizenship and remove non-citizens from federal voter rolls. On March 6, Kiley announced he would run as an independent after previously being a Republican. This summary reflects content from the Daily Caller News Foundation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2582657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7273.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4045,75272,74600],"class_list":["post-2582656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-kevin-kiley-2","tag-stephen-a-smith-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7273.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2582656"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2582660,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582656\/revisions\/2582660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2582657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2582656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2582656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2582656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}