California officials on Monday filed a lawsuit against Huntington Beach demanding that the community put an end to the voter identification laws it intends to implement in 2026.
The roughly 200,000-person Southern California city’s voters recently adopted the proposal that, according to state Attorney General Rob Bonta, violates state law and may make it more difficult for voters who are impoverished, non-white, young, old, or disabled to cast ballots.
“The right to freely cast your vote is the foundation of our democracy and Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy flies in the face of this principle,” Bonta said in a statement while announcing the lawsuit.
He stated that state officials have requested a court to prevent the amendment to the city’s charter from going into force because they had previously warned that it would reduce (illegal) voter participation.
Michael Gates, the city attorney for Huntington Beach, stated that the city will uphold the will of the local voters and that it is authorized by the state constitution to pursue election-related actions.
“The people of Huntington Beach have made their voices clear on this issue,” Gates said in an email.
This year, voters in Huntington Beach, an Orange County city dubbed “Surf City USA” because of its picturesque coastline studded with surfers catching waves, approved the proposal.
The City Council decided to put the voter ID initiative on the ballot in March after debating a number of contentious issues, including flag flying and the removal of children’s books from the public library due to concerns about the items’ appropriateness. The politically conservative council majority, which assumed office in 2022, started the initiatives, which have attracted large numbers of citizens to city meetings on all sides of the debate.
According to county election records, the proposition that would allow the city to mandate voter identification, expand the number of in-person voting locations, and maintain constant surveillance on ballot drop boxes in local elections was approved by 53% of voters in March.
The Democrat Bonta stated that it was unclear at first how the bill would be put into effect. Voters in California have three options for returning ballots: by mail, drop box, or in person.
Huntington Beach has a history of arguing with state officials about the authority granted to the city by its charter to take actions on anything from housing to immigration.
Democrats outnumber Republicans in Orange County, but according to county figures, the GOP is in control in Huntington Beach, where there are approximately 54,000 registered voters compared to 41,000 Democrats.
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