California officials are taking another shot at undoing a voter-approved measure in the city of Huntington Beach that requires ID to vote.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an appeal in the California 4th District Court of Appeals after an Orange County Superior Court backed Huntington Beach’s authority to require voter ID.
Local governments enacting their own election laws in California isn’t unheard of. The cities of Oakland and San Francisco allow noncitizens to vote in school board elections. However, in August 2024, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1174, which bars local election officials from requiring photo identification for elections.
Earlier this year, a group of Republican state legislators initiated the process for a ballot referendum to get voter ID statewide.
As noted in my book, “The Myth of Voter Suppression,” voter turnout has traditionally increased in states that adopt voter ID laws.
More than 53% of Huntington Beach voters approved the amendment to the city’s charter in a March 2024 election to allow adoption of voter ID.
“Municipalities should not be allowed to defy state laws in the name of solving nonexistent problems,” Weber, the secretary of state, said in a public statement. “I stand with Attorney General Bonta in fighting to reverse the lower court’s decision as we seek to overturn an unlawful voter ID policy.”
The state’s complaint claims state law prohibits and overrides the local law. Huntington Beach resident Mark Bixby was an initial plaintiff, and the state joined his case.
Bonta said, “State law supersedes local law when it comes to constitutional matters like the right to vote—and we will continue to fight to safeguard this fundamental right in court.”
The voter-approved charter amendment also requires Huntington Beach to provide 20 in-person polling places and to monitor ballot drop boxes.
A spokesperson with Huntington Beach did not respond to email inquiries for this story Friday. But Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns issued a statement after the city’s previous court victory.
“This is a huge victory not only for our city but charter cities throughout the state,” Burns said. “By prevailing against both writs of mandate, 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. We will not back down in our efforts to secure local control over our local issues and will continue to fight for the city.”
Huntington Beach City Attorney Mike Vigliotta added, “The U.S. Supreme Court has already determined that voter ID does not violate the right to vote. 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.”