The next general election could determine whether Californians will need a government ID to vote in elections.

A coalition that includes several conservative Southern California lawmakers is trying to get a ballot measure before voters in November 2026 that would require voter ID, a practice common in other states but opposed by those who say it’s an unnecessary roadblock to democracy.

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, and Assemblymember Bill Essayli, R-Corona, are coalition members, along with Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego.

“By passing a Voter ID initiative in California we can give voters increased confidence in our elections without unnecessarily restricting access to voting,” Calvert said in a news release.

The same release quoted Essayli as saying: “There is a cancer growing in our democracy where too many people have lost confidence in our elections — and enacting a Voter ID law should be seen as the best bipartisan solution to this problem.”

The Lincoln Club of Orange County also is part of the coalition.

“There is wide-spread support among the donor community for enacting common-sense election integrity reforms through the Voter ID Initiative and we look forward to helping get this important reform qualified and passed in 2026,” club Chair Teresa Hernandez said in the release.