Republican initiative for voter ID in California gathers enough support for ballot measure

<p>Proponents of the measure announce they have collected 1.3m signatures to put the issue on the midterm ballot</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox</a></p></li></ul><p>Republican organizers in California announced they have gathered enough signatures to place a measure that would require California voters to present identification every time they vote and for election officials to verify that registered voters are US citizens on the ballot this November.</p><p>Proponents of the measure <a href="https://www.reformcalifornia.org/news/meet-the-heroes-that-got-the-ca-voter-id-on-the-ballot">announced</a> that they have collected 1.3 million signatures on a petition to put the issue onto ballot for a vote in the midterm elections, surpassing the 874,641 signatures needed under California state law. Officials must now verify the signatures. <br><br>
Under the current law, Californians are not required to show or provide identification when casting a ballot in person or by mail. They are, however,<a href="https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/voting-california/registering-vote"> required to provide identification when registering to vote</a>. Voters must also swear under penalty of perjury—a felony—that they are a US citizen eligible to vote.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/03/republican-voter-id-california-ballot-measure">Continue reading...</a>

Read the full article at: The Guardian World →