On the last day of August, California lawmakers approved a bill which will allow some undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers’ licenses. This is a move that politicians believe might appeal to Hispanic voters in the heavily Democratic state in light of the upcoming election. According to NBC News, the driver’s licenses will only be issued to Hispanics who qualify on a variety of different levels.

The bill was introduced following an announcement that the federal program will relax deportation rules and grant some young immigrants legal status in the United States. The bill’s sponsor, Assembly member Gilbert Cedillo, says that the bill is a victory for those who were brought to America through no fault of their own. The qualified immigrants must have entered the United States before the age of 16 in order to qualify. Cedillo says that these members only want to be included in and contribute to American society and should have the right to do so.

Cedillo told the press that he was confident that Governor Jerry Brown would sign the bill into law. The California law accompanies the Obama Administration’s decision to offer deferred action to young immigrants who entered the United States before they were 16 and are enrolled in high school or the military or have a degree. According to this ruling, young immigrants who meet qualifications will be given a temporary residency in the United States. That residency will expire in two years, but can be renewed. No immigrants are allowed to apply if they have been convicted of a felony at some point in their lives, They must be at least 15 years old when they apply and no older than 30.

Experts believe that about 1.7 million immigrants will be affected by the program, and will be able to obtain work permits, Social Security cards, and driver’s licenses as a result. Yet some states have declared that they won’t allow the immigrants in their state to have any of the benefits that they can control. Nebraska and Arizona have already denied that they will allow driver’s licenses for deferred action migrants.

The new California bill has stood in stark contrast to other state rulings, such as Arizona’s harsh immigration policies. This state, as well as Alabama and several others, have chosen to clamp down on the immigration issue, rather than welcoming the undocumented citizens into the US. California has the largest population of illegal immigrants in the entire United States, with about 2.6 million aliens as of 2010. The California driver’s license bill has already passed the state Senate, and will not head to the House for confirmation. If the bill is approved, California will become the fourth state to officially allow immigrants to obtain a driver’s license. They will join New Mexico, Utah, and Washington. The bill is only one in a series of pro-immigration measures that have taken place in California.

The lawmakers in this state also recently passed an immigration bill that shields some illegal immigrants from status checks by the local police. This legislative action has been called the “anti-Arizona” because it is in stark contrast to the policies in that state. Earlier this week the governor also signed bill into law that encourages state schools to teach the history of a post-World- War II guest worker program. This program brought close to 5 million Mexican agricultural workers to the states, and sparked the immigration that we are still seeing today. This and many other actions are partially to help immigrants and to influence voters as the elections edge nearer and nearer.