Two California Republican legislators, Assemblymember Carl DeMaio and Senator Tony Strickland, on 16 July filed paperwork to place a voter-identification initiative on the state’s November 2026 ballot. The proposal would require the state to verify proof of U.S. citizenship when residents register to vote and compel voters to present a government-issued ID at polling places. Under the measure, Californians casting ballots by mail would have to supply the last four digits of a government-issued identification number, such as a Social Security or driver’s-license number. Supporters say the plan would streamline voter-roll maintenance and bolster confidence in election results; opponents argue that similar rules elsewhere have made it harder for elderly and low-income citizens to vote. Backers must collect roughly one million valid signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot. DeMaio advanced a comparable initiative during the last election cycle, and earlier this year Democrats, who hold super-majorities in both legislative chambers, blocked a bill with similar provisions. California is one of 14 U.S. states that do not currently require voters to show ID at the polls. The California effort comes amid a broader push for tighter voter-identification rules in the Pacific Northwest. A court ruling this week cleared a citizen initiative in Washington State to begin gathering about 330,000 signatures for a 2026 vote, and activists are also circulating petitions to curtail automatic vote-by-mail in Oregon.