More than 1.3 million signatures have been collected—more than enough to see the initiative added to the statewide ballot in the November election.
Californians are expected to be asked on the Nov. 3 ballot whether or not they want voter ID to be required in future elections.
A coalition called Californians for Voter ID has gathered more than 1.3 million signatures in a proposed statewide ballot initiative calling for voter ID. At a March 2 press conference, California Republican leaders and volunteers delivered more than a dozen boxes of signed petitions at the Riverside County Registrar of Voters in Riverside, California.
The number of signatures, collected over five months in all 58 Californian counties, far exceeds the 874,761 signatures required to make the November ballot, organizers said. So now, the formal signature validation process required to qualify for the ballot is expected to begin.
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) told reporters that delivering the petitions was an important milestone for the voter ID initiative and an “important day for democracy” in California.
“When Californians lose confidence in the integrity of our elections, we’re at risk of losing faith in the foundation that upholds the system of government. Anytime a ballot is cast by someone who is ineligible to vote, it cancels out the vote of an eligible citizen—silences their vote,” Calvert said.
It doesn’t take many fraudulent votes to upset the balance of power in Congress, he said, pointing out that, in the 2024 election, former Congressman John Duarte lost by just 187 votes and that Michelle Steel lost her congressional seat by just 653.
“Voter ID has broad support—not just from Republicans—across the political spectrum,” Calvert said. “It’s a common-sense way to secure the election. This is something that already takes place in some fashion in 36 states. Americans use their ID in every part of their lives, every single day. This is not a radical idea. … We want to strengthen the integrity of our election process.”
State Sen. Tony Strickland told reporters that “a dog has voted in the last couple elections in Orange County.”
“And, you know, our democracy doesn’t work if people don’t have faith in election outcomes,” he said.
In September 2025, a 62-year-old resident of Costa Mesa, California, was charged with five felonies for allegedly registering her dog to vote.
Strickland said that, according to internal campaign polling, 68 percent of voters approve of voter ID, which, in California, means that an “overwhelming number of Democrats, independents, and Republicans” must support voter integrity laws.
“People have a thirst” for election integrity, he said, claiming that the argument that voter ID will lower voter participation is “absolutely not true.”
“The only people that don’t support voter integrity are insiders up in Sacramento. But when we give the voters a choice this November, I have no doubt that the people of California will vote [for] voter integrity and voter ID law, and that we will get this passed,” he said. “This will be a game-changer in California.”
Voter ID is an essential safeguard for the future of democracy, he said.
By Brad Jones
