Grassroots campaign clears key milestone, aiming to require voter identification and citizenship verification for statewide elections
Supporters of the California Voter Identification and Voter List Maintenance Requirements Initiative announced they have gathered more than 1 million signatures to place the measure on the November 3, 2026, statewide ballot.
The announcement follows a rapid signature drive that began in late 2025 and reflects grassroots volunteer efforts across the state.
Reform California, led by State Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego), is one of the groups helping to coordinate the campaign.
Under California law, citizen initiatives seeking to amend the state Constitution must secure at least 874,641 valid signatures from registered voters to qualify for the ballot, with proponents typically collecting extra signatures to account for potential disqualifications during verification by local election officials.
The proposed constitutional amendment would require voters to present a government-issued identification card to cast a ballot in person or to provide the last four digits of a government-issued identifier when voting by mail.
It would also direct the Secretary of State and county election officials to verify voter citizenship, maintain accurate voter registration rolls, and report annually on the outcomes of citizenship verification.
Asm. DeMaio said in a recent post on X that organizers are now pushing to collect an additional 200,000 signatures, arguing that a buffer is necessary to guard against potential legal or procedural challenges from Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento as the election approaches.
