Elections in California are a mess, there's no doubt. If a proposed ballot initiative related to voter ID qualifies for the ballot and passes, though, the Democrat reign of terror in the state could be over.
A number of elected officials and interest groups in the state have formed a coalition called Californians for Voter ID, and on Tuesday they announced their intention to "support the qualification of and passage of a Voter ID Initiative in California in the 2026 election."
While the full text of the proposed initiative isn't yet available, according to the Reform California website here's what it would do:
The initiative amends the California state constitution to restore election integrity by requiring 1) verification of voter ID for all future elections, 2) proper review of citizenship and eligibility when individuals initially register to vote for the first time, and 3) accurate maintenance of voter rolls going forward to remove people who die and who move out of the state.
Does it have a chance of being qualified and passing? Judging by the overwhelming victory of 2024's Proposition 36, which rolled back a number of criminal justice "reforms," yes. Surprisingly, when Californians vote on issues and not candidates for partisan office, they vote much more conservatively than one might expect. Voters rejected an affirmative action initiative and supported an initiative to protect the gig economy (which the unions heavily fought). And, like the public safety/criminal justice issue, multiple polls show broad support from Californians for voter ID laws.
In announcing his support of the initiative, Asm. Bill Essayli (R-Corona) said:
Sacramento Democrats kicked me off the Assembly Elections Committee for fighting for YOU, but we don’t need them. We’re going around the Legislature to bring common sense Voter ID to California Elections. We are going to collect over 1 million signatures to put Voter ID on the 2026 ballot.
68% of CA Voters SUPPORT Voter ID, including 52% of Democrats, 70% of Independents, and 93% of Republicans.
🚨BREAKING: CA VOTER ID BALLOT MEASURE ANNOUNCEMENT
— Bill Essayli (@billessayli) March 11, 2025
Sacramento Democrats kicked me off the Assembly Elections Committee for fighting for YOU, but we don’t need them. We’re going around the Legislature to bring common sense Voter ID to California Elections. We are going to… pic.twitter.com/8oKLE0zAtf
In his video, Essayli demonstrates how people can register to vote online in California without giving a drivers license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. Governor Gavin Newsom and his acolytes argue that citizenship verification is done behind the scenes, but that verification process is simply verifying that a drivers license number or four digits purporting to be the last four of someone's Social Security Number are present. One Democrat city councilman in San Joaquin County, Shakir Khan, was criminally charged after illegally registering 70 (yes, that's seven-zero) people to vote in California, some of whom were not citizens. At least one non-citizen cast a vote.
During a press conference after Khan's arrest, San Joaquin County Registrar Olivia Hale said:
They came through as online registrations, so they’re put into a state database called VoteCal, and then brought down to our system, and then the verification process is simply verifying that there’s a driver’s license and a four-digit social security number, and if those are present then they’re able to move from the pending status into active status.
And the investigator gave more information:
“We did notice some issues in the voting process…the way the voting system is structured. We see quite a few flaws.
“You’re able to register and cast a vote even if you don’t live in the country, as evident of his brother in Pakistan. I think we have some evidence of two or three other people out of the country that voted…
"The online voter registration system, it seems to be an honor system. Anybody can put information in there to register to vote. All you have to do is click the box and say that you’re not lying and then you’ll get an email from the SOS or something in the mail saying thank you for registering to vote, and there you are. Once you’re on the voter rolls, anytime an election comes around, guess what? You get mailed a ballot….So we found that a little bit problematic."
Mandatory voter ID going forward and a purge of current records would definitely make a difference in the state. In the Khan case, investigators shared information concerned citizens had brought forward related just to that one county:
They noticed that there were about 93 people that were registered to vote…with a birth date of 1850. There were 232 people registered to vote with the address to our local prisons. There were 4,144 people that were 90 years old and older. There were 125 people on the voter rolls that were registered to – their address comes back to nonprofit NGO’s and different businesses.
There were approximately 300 people with no first name, just a last name….
There were 110 people that were possible double voters, basically the same name, date of birth, and address, but different voter ID numbers.
People were registered to vote at various shelters and all that. We even found one person on the voter rolls by the name of Jesus Christ, which we found interesting.
Asm. Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego), who is part of the coalition, said:
“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."
Julie Luckey, Director of Californians for Voter ID, pointed out that 36 states in the U.S. have some type of voter ID requirement and that every country in Europe and lots of other countries around the world require photo ID, adding:
"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."
The draft initiative must be sent to the Secretary of State and receive a title and summary before signature gathering can begin. Since the initiative is a constitutional amendment, signatures from 874,641 registered voters statewide must be gathered and verified within a six-month period, and then the measure can be placed on the 2026 general election ballot.
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