In Washington, D.C., the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote and to provide an ID to actually vote, is languishing, stuck behind a procedural wall - the filibuster. But in California, of all places, a very similar initiative will be on the ballot in the 2026 fall election. Sufficient verified signatures in place; it's official. Now, though, the real work begins. Republican state Assemblyman Carl DeMaio shared the news on X:
BREAKING: Our CA Voter ID Initiative officially qualifies for the November 2026 ballot! Now the hard part is waging the campaign to pass it! Join the fight at https://t.co/TFn2RnSajd pic.twitter.com/Gz3sRnsJ25
— Carl DeMaio (@carldemaio) April 24, 2026
Like the SAVE America Act, this issue, should it win in the voting, will mandate the two primary parts of the federal bill: Require proof of citizenship to register, and a valid ID to vote. You can view all the details at the Reform California website here.
Reform California is already touting the latest polling, from a Public Opinion Strategies Poll of 800 likely voters. Here's how that breaks down:
Voter ID: 68 percent total support requiring ID to pass a ballot. Among Republicans, it's 93 percent in favor, Independents, 70 percent, and even a majority of Democrats agree at 52 percent.
Citizenship verification: 79 percent total support for citizenship verification to register as a voter. Among Republicans, it is 95 percent in favor, Independents, 80 percent, and Democrats, 69 percent.
This would appear to be a ballot initiative with strong odds of passage, and that will be nothing if not a mandate, should that happen.
Other states are filling in the gap left by the non-passage (yet) of the SAVE America Act.
Read More: DeSantis Shows How It's Done, Signs Florida's Own Version of the SAVE Act
'Never Lived Here, Still Voting': Virginia’s Election Loophole Heads to Court
Now, though, as Assemblyman DeMaio points out, the hard part starts. This initiative will be roundly demonized and reviled by the Democratic Party regime, including (bet on it) the impeccably coiffed Governor Gavin Newsom. Money will pour in, much of it from outside the state, to try to make sure this is defeated; trust me, here in Alaska we've been through something similar with ranked-choice voting - twice, and we are aiming to try this November again to vote in a repeal of that bad idea. We were outspent both times, ten to one, by money mostly from Outside. California's a bigger state, population-wise, and if this can be made to happen there, then it's Katy-bar-the-door, because if Reform California can get this done in the once-Golden State, it can be done anywhere.
Last February, CNN's Harry Enten noted a poll that found 83 percent of Americans in favor of voter ID, including over 70 percent of Democrats.
In October of 2025, a Center Square Voters' Voice Poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, revealed 70 percent of Americans either strongly support or somewhat support President Trump's voter ID proposal; that includes 48 percent who strongly support. So, if anything, the support is steady or increasing.
If this passes in California, it will be a game-changer, but it won't come easy.
You can view the text of the proposed amendment here.
[Editor's note: This article was edited for clarity post-publication.]
Editor’s Note: Republicans are fighting for election integrity by requiring proper identification to vote.
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