Californians will decide in November whether to approve latest voter identification and verification requirements through a constitutional amendment that has qualified for the ballot. The measure, which cleared the signature-gathering threshold in September 2025, will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026 statewide ballot after officials confirmed it exceeded the required number of valid signatures through random sampling.
To qualify for the ballot, the initiative needed 874,641 valid signatures, equal to 8% of votes cast in the 2022 gubernatorial election. State officials verified that proponents surpassed this threshold, allowing the measure to proceed to the ballot. The proposal was expected to be formally certified for the ballot on June 25, 2026 unless withdrawn by its sponsors.
If approved by voters, the measure would amend the California Constitution to require individuals to present government-issued identification when voting in person or provide the last four digits of a government-issued identification number when voting by mail. It would as well mandate that the state provide voter identification cards upon request at no charge and require election officials to annually report the percentage of voters in each county whose citizenship has been verified.
The initiative’s official title and summary, prepared by the California Attorney General, states: “ESTABLISHES ADDITIONAL VOTER IDENTIFICATION AND CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.” Under current law, voters must affirm under penalty of perjury that they are U.S. Citizens and provide identifying information such as birthdate, driver’s license, or Social Security number during registration. This measure would add further verification steps at the point of voting.
A fiscal analysis conducted by the Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance estimated one-time implementation costs for state and local governments in the tens of millions of dollars, with ongoing annual costs potentially reaching into the low hundreds of millions. These costs would cover system updates, voter card production, and administrative work related to citizenship verification reporting.
The measure’s proponents include Republican state Assemblyman Carl DeMaio of San Diego County, Republican state Senator Tony Strickland of Huntington Beach, and business owner Donald J. DiCostanzo. DeMaio has described the initiative as a “common-sense and bipartisan way to restore the trust and confidence all voters should have in our election system,” arguing it would hold government officials accountable for maintaining accurate voter lists and verifying voter identities.
Voting rights advocates have opposed the measure, contending that stricter identification requirements could disproportionately affect elderly, low-income, and minority voters who may face barriers in obtaining government-issued ID. Critics argue such requirements could reduce overall voter participation and create unnecessary hurdles to ballot access.
The California Secretary of State’s office, led by Dr. Shirley N. Weber, has overseen the initiative’s qualification process, including verifying petition signatures and providing deadlines to county elections officials. The office also publishes the official calendar of deadlines for initiative proponents and local election administrators.
As of the April 24, 2026 announcement, the measure is confirmed for the November ballot, joining other statewide propositions that voters will consider alongside elections for governor, state legislature, and federal offices. Voters will receive the official ballot label and summary from the Attorney General’s office in the voter information guide prior to the election.
No further action is required from initiative proponents unless they choose to withdraw the measure before the June 25 certification date. After that point, the measure will proceed to the general election where a majority vote is required for adoption into the state constitution.
For updates on the initiative’s status, including certification details and campaign finance disclosures, voters and researchers can refer to the California Secretary of State’s elections division website or the official voter information guide published closer to the election date.
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