[DrScump]

  so they can verify who you are

How do you "verify" that the person presenting a birth certificate or SSN is the person named on a document?

  no voter fraud happening in California 

As someone who has already experienced somebody voting in my place multiple times, I can assure you that that is hogwash.

[squiggleblaz]

I'm not in America but I've had to vote in many elections. I don't think I ever presented any ID ever, they just took my word that I'm the one who I said I was. (I think there was once a state election when they posted me a token that I was supposed to return to vote.) Yet the elections here are widely regarded as high quality.

But if your goal is to prevent double voting, you would just use the inks they use in some newer democracies. Then you know John MacIlroy only voted once because you can see it on his fingers. This is probably even more reliable because you won't cut off your finger to hide the ink, but anyone can go get a false id. And no-one is disenfranchised because someone stole their wallet last week and they haven't received their replacements yet.