California, to put it bluntly, has issues. But plenty of people remain in the once-Golden state who are trying to restore some sanity to the state and its government. Some of them are colleagues and friends of mine, and I wish them every success.
One way that might happen is by taking advantage of California's initiative system. One such initiative, the CA Voter ID Initiative, has gathered more than 250,000 of the over 874,000 signatures needed to put the matter on the 2026 ballot - and they've only been gathering signatures for two weeks. An email from the group pushing the initiative, the CA Voter ID Initiative 2026, described the progress as "a record-breaking haul" and announced that the initiative's proponents "will file a formal certification with the CA Secretary of State's office announcing the official tally" Wednesday.
One of the initiative's proponents, California State Asm. Carl DeMaio, said:
"We are absolutely thrilled with the overwhelming response of signatures in the first two weeks of our signature drive - and it proves that California voters across the political spectrum support the CA Voter ID Initiative."
DeMaio's Reform California, the organization behind the initiative, points out recent polling indicating that 68 percent of Californians support requiring an ID to vote, while 73 percent support requiring verification of citizenship. These measures are broadly seen as essential to election security, meaning that elected Democrats won't like the idea.
California State Senator Tony Strickland, a proponent of the initiative, said:
"Implementing a Voter ID requirement is critical in securing our elections - and this initiative reinstates trust in our democracy and ensures every legal vote is counted."
Last March, RedState's own Jennifer Van Laar wrote:
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.
That sounds like an initiative that would appeal to a broad range of voters — legal voters — across the board.
Read More: FINALLY! Voter ID May Be on the Ballot Statewide in California in 2026
Now, it looks a lot like this initiative will land on the ballot in the 2026 election, and this could change a lot of things in California. Oh, there will be opposition; the usual outcries about "disenfranchising" certain voters who Democrats think, for some reason, are incapable of obtaining any identification, even though life in our time is pretty much impossible without some government-issued ID. You need an ID to cash a check, to open a bank account, to buy a bottle of booze; you need an ID to carry out many of the functions of our modern lives, so there's no sane reason why the state of California (or indeed any state) shouldn't require an ID to vote.
You can visit the CA Voter ID Initiative 2026 website here. If you're a California resident, sign the petition. Honest elections can only make it easier to put a little luster back in the once-Golden State.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
Help us continue to report the truth about the Schumer Shutdown. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member