Voter ID ballot measure qualifies for California's general election ballot

When Californians cast their ballots in the fall, they may get to decide whether they'll have to bring a form of ID with them the next time they vote.

A proposed ballot measure that, if approved, would require voters to present government-issued identification at the polls has garnered enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in the general election this year, the secretary of state's office said in an advisory to county elections officials on Friday, April 24.

The Republican-backed measure applies to mail-in voting as well; then, voters would need to write the last four digits of their ID on the envelope with their ballot.

And the measure would also require election officials to report yearly the percentage of their county's voters whose citizenship they verified, according to the secretary of state's office.

The ballot measure - Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, and Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, are among its proponents - filed more than 962,000 valid signatures, the advisory said. That means, unless the proponents withdraw it, the measure has qualified for the general election ballot.

"We're very enthusiastic about the kind of support we have," Strickland said Friday afternoon. "We have an unbelievable ground game, right from the beginning. We feel very confident we're going to get this passed."

About 875,000 signatures were needed to qualify for the ballot.

Nearly 130,000 valid signatures came from Orange County, per the secretary of state's advisory, and more than 211,000 from Los Angeles County, as well as about 100,000 from Riverside County and 70,600 from San Bernardino County.

The idea, Strickland said, is simple.

"You need your ID to get on a plane, to get your prescription drugs, for every form of your life," he said. "It's very simplistic to say you need an ID to vote."

The measure would also mandate free voter ID cards to eligible voters who request one.

But several civil rights and voting rights groups oppose the measure, arguing that an ID requirement could hinder communities that already face obstacles to voting, and it could possibly expose sensitive information for those who have to write their ID numbers on their mailed ballots.

"This voter ID measure is not about protecting voters; it is about importing the current federal administration's election lies and intimidation tactics into California," Jenny Farrell, executive director of the League of Women Voters of California, said in February.

In California, residents are required to provide an ID or Social Security number when they register to vote, but they do not have to show identification when they cast their ballots. First-time voters, though, may need to show an ID, the secretary of state advises.

President Donald Trump, who has often alleged widespread voter fraud without proof, is a supporter of voter ID initiatives. He's long been a critic of how California conducts elections, and during the special election on redistricting last year, Trump said the election system was "rigged" without citing any evidence.

Last month, Trump signed an executive order to create a national list of verified voters. He's been pushing lawmakers to pass what he's calling the "SAVE America Act," which would broadly end mail-in ballots except for certain circumstances and require ID to vote.

And last year, in the immediate aftermath of the devastating wildfires in the L.A. area, Trump suggested only supplying federal aid if California established a voter ID law.

California is one of 14 states that do not require an ID to vote, according to a tally from Ballotpedia.

Statewide polling in May 2025 found that most California voters were at least moderately confident in the state's election system. And most voters surveyed said they supported a proof of citizenship requirement through a government-issued ID for those who register to vote for the first time.

But when it comes to showing proof of citizenship, or voter ID, every time a ballot is cast, Californians were split, the Berkeley IGS poll found. Only 39% of registered voters surveyed said they "favor strongly" the concept, and 28% marked "oppose strongly."

Perhaps predictably, when broken down by party, 78% of Republican voters said they strongly backed such a requirement, whereas 44% of Democrats strongly opposed it. But when it comes to frequent voters, 40% strongly opposed a voter ID requirement every time a ballot is cast, and 34% strongly supported it.

The 2026 general election is Nov. 3.

_____

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 7:42 PM.