Washington Voter Identification and Citizenship Voting Requirements Initiative (2026)
| Washington Voter Identification and Citizenship Voting Requirements Initiative | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Citizenship voting requirements and Voter ID policy |
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| Status Cleared for signature gathering |
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| Type Initiated state statute |
Origin |
The Washington Voter Identification and Citizenship Voting Requirements Initiative may appear on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the People, a type of initiated state statute, on November 3, 2026.
Jim Walsh filed the petition for Initiative to the People 26-500 (IP26-500) on February 3, 2026.
The ballot initiative would require voters to show proof of citizenship to register to vote and cast a ballot.
Text of measure
Full text
The full texts of the ballot initiative filings are available here.
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Washington, the number of signatures required to qualify a directly initiated state statute—called an Initiative to the People in Washington—for the ballot is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last regular gubernatorial election. Initial filings for direct initiatives cannot be made more than 10 months before the general election at which their proposal would be presented to voters. Signatures must be submitted at least four months prior to the general election.
The requirements to get an Initiative to the People certified for the 2026 ballot:
The secretary of state verifies the signatures using a random sample method. If the sample indicates that the measure has sufficient signatures, the measure is certified for the ballot. However, if the sample indicates that the measure has insufficient signatures, every signature is checked. Under Washington law, a random sample result may not invalidate a petition.
Details about this initiative
The following is the timeline of the initiative:[1]
- February 3, 2026: Jim Walsh filed Initiative to the People 26-500 (IP26-500).
- February 20, 2026: A ballot title and serial number was issued to IP26-500, thereby allowing it to begin collecting signatures.
See also
View other measures certified for the 2026 ballot across the U.S. and in Washington.
Explore Washington's ballot measure history, including citizen-initiated ballot measures.
Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.
External links
Footnotes
