Reform California has reportedly collected 1.3 million signatures – exceeding the needed 875,000 to add the initiative to the November general election ballot with plenty to make up for the expected 20% or more that will be deemed invalid.
"The California Voter ID Initiative has an excellent chance of not just making it on the ballot, but actually being passed by Californians," says Brad Dacus of the Pacific Justice Institute.
In 2024, legislators passed SB 1174, a law prohibiting local jurisdictions from checking voters' identification during elections. Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed it into law, but this initiative would effectively trump that.
Opponents of voter ID laws call supporters racist, but Dacus says their logic is what qualifies as such.
"There are obviously politicians who find it in their best interest not to have this kind of an anti-fraud measure passed. The Democrats like to use racism as their basic argument, contending that black people are not able to use voter IDs or may not have voter IDs or know how to get a voter ID," the attorney relays.
Thirty-six U.S. states require voters to show some form of identification when casting a ballot in person; fourteen states and Washington, D.C. do not require ID at the polling place
In California, identification is required to check out a library book, to get on an airplane, to drive a car, or to buy alcohol and cigarettes.
Citing polls showing 71% of Californians favor the initiative, Reform California believes the measure is on a solid path to bypass the Democratic legislative supermajority and amend the state constitution to require voter ID when casting a ballot, require election officials to verify the citizenship of registered voters, and require the state to maintain accurate voter rolls.
If the measure passes, Dacus thinks it will easily survive any kind of court challenges that may follow.
"This is simply maintaining the integrity of the voting process," he asserts.
