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This November, for the first time, California voters may have the chance to vote for the right to know whether the food they buy contains genetically engineered ingredients. The California Right-to-Know ballot initiative is on track to turn in over 850,000 signatures to make the California ballot this fall.

Behind this historic initiative is a broad, growing and powerful coalition of family farms, health, environmental and consumer groups including: Nature’s Path, Lundberg Family Farms, Organic Valley, Dr. Bronner’s, Eden Foods, American Public Health Association,Mercola.com, Center for Food Safety, Organic Consumers Association, Food Democracy Now!, LabelGMOs.org, Alliance for Natural Health, United Farm Workers, Public Citizen, American Public Health Association, Sierra Club, Consumer Federation of America, California Certified Organic Farmers and scores of others.

An overwhelming majority of Americans-93 percent according to a Reuters poll [PDF]-agree with these businesses and citizen advocacy groups. They want to know what’s in their food. This basic right has strong support from across the political spectrum. Fifty countries, including all European Union countries, China and Russia, have labeling laws. Right now, nearly 20 states in the U.S. are considering ballot or legislative initiatives to label foods that contain genetically engineered ingredients.

The ballot language in California is simple, clear and direct: It requires companies to label foods containing GMOs. It balances the ideal with the practical. There are a series of exemptions to ensure the law is not burdensome on people who are trying to do the right thing. Companies will have 18 months to comply with the new law.