Huntington Beach election glitch discovered by LAist

With just weeks to go before the Nov. 5 election, LAist has discovered a glitch in official election guides for a controversial ballot measure in Huntington Beach.

Let's start with the backstory

Huntington Beach's Measure U, on the November ballot, would give voters the ability to block state housing mandates.

Supporters argue the measure will give local voters control over development decisions that could affect the city's environment and quality of life. Opponents say the measure is an end run around the state's controversial efforts to ease the region's housing shortage by forcing cities to make more room for housing. Critics also say the measure, if successful, would lead to costly legal battles and, at a minimum, cost taxpayers money to put zoning changes on the ballot.

OK, so what is the issue?

Supporters initially wanted a paragraph in the election pamphlet to say that the measure would cost nothing to taxpayers. Opponents challenged that in court, and it was supposed to be stricken, per a judge's ruling. But LAist discovered it was accidentally printed in Spanish- and Chinese-language ballot pamphlets.

Why does it matter?

California election law prohibits language on the ballot that is false or misleading and voters can challenge ballot language in court.

So how did it come to light?

LAist discovered that the prohibited paragraph — which alleged the ballot measure would cost nothing to voters — was printed in Spanish-language voter guides. After alerting the Orange County Registrar of Voters, Registrar Bob Page confirmed the mistake, and told LAist that the stricken paragraph also accidentally appeared in Chinese-language voter guides.

What's being done to correct it?

Page said his office would mail out postcards noting the mistake to Huntington Beach voters who requested their election materials in Spanish or Chinese — 1,073 voters in total. He said the mistake would also be corrected in online materials and in master guides at vote centers.

How often does this kind of thing happen?

Mistakes on the ballot — at least ones discovered after printing — appear to be pretty rare. But it does happen. L.A. County just misprinted about 78,000 ballots relating to a bond initiative for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

Want more election coverage?

Head to LAist.com for our Voter Game Plan, with everything you need to get ready for the Nov. 5 election.

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