California undeniably faces significant challenges, yet a dedicated group of residents remains committed to restoring order and effectiveness within the state’s governance. Among these are some of my personal colleagues and friends, to whom I extend my sincerest wishes for success in their endeavors.

A promising approach to achieving reform is through the utilization of California’s initiative system. An example of this is the CA Voter ID Initiative, which has impressively amassed over 250,000 signatures out of the 874,000 required to secure a spot on the 2026 ballot. Notably, they’ve accomplished this significant feat in just two weeks. The group spearheading this effort, CA Voter ID Initiative 2026, recently communicated through an email that described their progress as “a record-breaking haul.” They further announced that they would formally certify this tally with the CA Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday.

California State Assembly Member Carl DeMaio, a key advocate for the initiative, shared insights into the campaign’s momentum:

DeMaio’s organization, Reform California, highlights compelling polling data that shows 68 percent of Californians favor requiring an ID for voting, while 73 percent advocate for verifying citizenship. Such measures are perceived as critical for ensuring election integrity, a perspective that is likely to face opposition from elected Democratic officials.

California State Senator Tony Strickland, another supporter of the initiative, commented on the initiative’s significance:

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.