CA Voter ID Initiative Officially Filed for 2026

This week, CA State Rep. Carl DeMaio, Senator Tony Strickland, and Donald DiCostanzo of Californians for Voter ID filed the California Voter ID Initiative with the Secretary of State. This filing triggers a 75-day timeline to start collecting the 1 million signatures needed to qualify the CA Voter ID Initiative for a vote.

“This initiative is about restoring integrity, accountability, and trust in California’s broken elections,” said DeMaio at a press conference announcing the filing. “Every legitimate voter deserves to know their vote will not be canceled out by fraud or error — and voter ID is the commonsense solution.”

The CA Voter ID Initiative would amend the state Constitution to:

1. Require government-issued identification when voting in person
2. Require a verified identifying number (like the last 4 digits of a Social Security or license number) when voting by mail
3. Mandate that voter rolls be cleaned and verified for citizenship
4. Provide free voter ID cards to any eligible voter who requests one
5. Require annual compliance audits by the State Auditor
6. Allow citizens to sue to enforce election integrity standards

The measure’s full text and updates are available at ElectionIntegrityInitiative.com.

With the filing complete, the campaign now enters its most urgent phase: qualifying the initiative for the November 2026 ballot. That means gathering over 1 million signatures from registered California voters — and doing it quickly and legally before the deadline.

By October 1, the Secretary of State will issue official petitions, marking the start of the 180-day clock for signature collection. Reform California has just 75 days left to recruit volunteers and raise the funding needed to print, distribute, and submit petitions across the state.

“This is an all-hands-on-deck moment,” said DeMaio. “We need thousands of volunteers and at least $3 million in the bank to hit the ground running this fall. If we want to take back our elections, this is our shot.”

The CA Voter ID Initiative comes after years of controversy over California’s lack of basic election safeguards. While 35 states already require some form of voter ID, California is one of just 14 states — plus D.C. — that do not. Even worse, state Democrats have taken extreme steps to prevent local governments from passing their own voter ID laws.

DeMaio previously introduced legislation to enact voter ID statewide, but Sacramento Democrats rejected the bill earlier this year. The Legislature also sued to block Huntington Beach from implementing its own voter ID measure — passed by voters in 2023 — and Gavin Newsom signed a law banning any local voter ID efforts.

Now, the people are taking matters into their own hands.

“This initiative bypasses the corrupt politicians and puts this directly in the hands of voters,” said Senator Strickland. “We’ve drafted it carefully. It’s constitutional. And we’re going to win this fight.”

Reform California is asking every concerned voter to take three immediate steps to support the CA Voter ID Initiative:

1. Volunteer to Collect Signatures
2. Sign up at ElectionIntegrityInitiative.com to help gather signatures from your friends, family, and neighbors — or host a signature table at local events.
3. Attend a Signature Organizer Meeting

The campaign must also raise $3 million to fund the petition drive — and is only halfway to that goal. That’s why DeMaio is also urging the public to contribute to the campaign.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore confidence in California’s elections,” said DeMaio. “The political class won’t act, so the people must. Let’s get to work.”