November 3, 2026 general election
California Proposition 39; what a yes or no vote means.
Adds identification requirements for in-person and mail voting; the state would provide voter identification cards on request.
Bottom line
What Proposition 39 does
Adds identification requirements for in-person and mail voting; the state would provide voter identification cards on request.
The measure is a initiative constitutional amendment placed on the ballot by petition signatures. Its official title is “Prohibits Citizens from Voting Unless They Present Government-Issued Identification.”
A yes vote
Yes means
Voters would have to provide additional identifying information each time they vote.
A no vote
No means
A voter's identity would continue to be established through the existing signature process.
State estimate
What it could cost
Estimated annual state and local costs range from tens of millions of dollars to the low hundreds of millions of dollars.
That is the fiscal effect summarized from the state voter guide. Estimates describe likely government effects; they are not a promise of an exact future result.
Primary record
Read the complete state analysis
This explainer is a starting point. The Secretary of State’s guide carries the impartial analysis, fiscal estimate, arguments for and against the measure, rebuttals and proposed law. Read that record before making a decision.
Open the official Proposition 39 guide