California elections officials on Friday added a Republican-backed voter identification initiative to the November 3 ballot that would require voters to present proof of citizenship or official identification each time they cast a ballot. The measure will appear before voters this fall after a signature collection campaign led by San Diego Assemblymember Carl DeMaio.

If approved, the initiative would require voters to present official identification each time they vote in person. Mail voting would require the last four digits of an identification number, such as a driver's license. The Secretary of State and county election offices would be required to verify voter registration each time a voter casts a ballot.

Under current rules, voters only need to provide identification and their Social Security number when registering to vote. California offers mail voting and allows voter registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles.

DeMaio and other Republican activists have pursued stricter voting rules in California for years. According to a 2025 report by the National Conference of State Legislatures, 36 states require or recommend that voters show some form of identification at the polls.

Republican State Senator Tony Strickland of Huntington Beach said in a recent interview, "Esta es una iniciativa increíblemente popular entre demócratas y republicanos." He added, "Creo que la única forma de que no se apruebe es que nos superen en gastos. Por eso estamos trabajando arduamente con una sólida estructura de campaña sobre el terreno."

The campaign committee backing the initiative raised $10 million over the past year. The majority of that sum came from contributions tied to Julie Luckey, mother of technology billionaire Palmer Luckey.

Electoral fraud is uncommon in California. Allegations of fraud and concerns about election integrity have increased since President Donald Trump spread false claims that the 2020 elections were stolen.

A 2026 survey by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found that Californians generally support voter identification at the polls but are divided ideologically when given specific details about the measure. When respondents were informed that the measure aims to combat electoral fraud and that it could suppress valid votes, support fell to 37%, according to the survey.