A judge on Monday decided in favor of Huntington Beach in the city’s legal battle with the state over an ordinance requiring voters to show identification when casting a ballot.
City officials contend that as a charter city it has special authority to approve an ordinance that conflicts with state law. State officials claim that California law takes precedence.
“There is no showing that a voter identification requirement compromises the integrity of a municipal election,” Orange County Superior Court Judge Nick Dourbetas wrote in his ruling Monday. “Municipal election results do not lack integrity because only residents of a municipality who are eligible to vote participated in the election.”
Huntington Beach voters approved Measure A by more than 53% of ballots cast in March 2024. The measure’s passage and subsequent City Council adoption prompted a lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber, along with Huntington Beach resident Mark Bixby. They asked the court to strike down Measure A because “the Huntington Beach City Charter is preempted by and violates California law,” Bonta argued.
Mayor Pat Burns said the ruling “is a huge victory not only for our city but charter cities throughout the state. … We have not only successfully defended our city’s voter ID law, but also the constitutional authority of charter cities rights from attacks by the attorney general and the state of California,” he said in a statement. “We will not back down in our efforts to secure local control over our local issues and will continue to fight for the city.”
City Attorney Mike Vigliotta said he was “pleased that Superior Court carefully analyzed the law and came to the correct conclusion” based on the state Constitution giving charter cities the authority to govern their own affairs.
“The U.S. Supreme Court has already determined that voter ID does not violate the right to vote,” Vigliotta said in a statement. “While we anticipate this fight isn’t over, we are pleased with the court’s fair and just evaluation of the weakness of the state and Bixby’s legal case.”
State officials blasted the judge’s decision.
“Yet again, we believe the Orange County Superior Court got it wrong,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “Earlier this year, the California Fourth District Court of Appeal wrote that Huntington Beach’s argument that ‘it had a constitutional right to regulate its own municipal elections free from state interference … is … problematic.’ We agree.”
Bonta’s office intends to appeal the ruling and is “confident that Measure A will ultimately be struck down,” he said.
“The court got it wrong. Access to the ballot box is a key component of our democracy,” Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement. “The court’s order is in direct conflict with California election laws and will result in disenfranchising California voters.”
If courts OK the ordinance, it would go into effect in 2026.
