Coalition members commit to help collect 1 million signatures to qualify statewide constitutional amendment in 2026 election – and advocate for its passage with voters
A coalition of elected officials and campaign committees have announced their intention to support the qualification of and passage of a Voter ID Initiative in California in the 2026 election. Several members of the coalition also released polling showing overwhelming bipartisan support for a Voter ID Initiative in California – with a super-majority of Republicans and Independents and a majority of even Democratic voters supporting the initiative.
The coalition includes a number of federal, state and local elected officials along with a number of political advocacy groups.
Coalition members revealed that at a minimum the measure would be a state constitutional amendment that requires citizenship verification for all voter registrations and government-issued ID for casting a ballot in an election.
"Thirty-six states in the U.S. have implemented some form of voter identification requirement. Similarly, every country in Europe mandates that in-person voters present photo ID to cast their ballots. This practice is also standard in Canada, Japan, South Korea, India, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, and many other nations worldwide, spanning both developed and developing democracies," said Julie Luckey, Director of Californians for Voter ID. "Support for voter ID laws transcends party lines—it’s not a Republican or Democratic issue. Polls consistently show that majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and independents favor these measures. Nor is this unique to the United States; it’s a global norm. Voter ID is simply a common-sense policy. California needs to modernize its elections to align with the vast majority of the world’s democracies. While our state leads in so many areas, it lags behind on this issue. It’s time for California to catch up and enact voter ID laws."
“Politicians and the media will keep denying the fact that California has real problems with election integrity, but the message from the public is loud and clear in support of requiring Voter ID as the best way to restore public trust and confidence in our elections,” says Carl DeMaio, State Assemblymember (District 75) and Chairman of Reform California.
“There is a cancer growing in our democracy where too many people have lost confidence in our elections – and enacting a Voter ID law should be seen as the best bipartisan solution to this problem,” says Bill Essayli, State Assemblymember (District 61) and Chairman of Common-Sense California.
“Voter ID is a common sense step that improves election security, which is why it receives broad support among Democrats, Republicans and independents throughout California. By passing a Voter ID initiative in California we can give voters increased confidence in our elections without unnecessarily restricting access to voting,” says Ken Calvert, US Representative (District 41).
“There is wide-spread support among the donor community for enacting common-sense election integrity reforms through the Voter ID Initiative and we look forward to helping get this important reform qualified and passed in 2026,” says Teresa Hernandez, Chair, Orange County Lincoln Club
Polling conducted by Public Opinion Strategies in late January for several coalition members showed 68% of voters support passage of a Voter ID law – drawing support of 93% of Republicans, 70% of Independents and 52% of Democratic voters.