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Judge sides with Huntington Beach in voter ID case. Here's what it means
A voter drops his ballot for the 2020 US elections into an official ballot drop box.
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Frederic J. Brown
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AFP
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A judge has sided with Huntington Beach, for a second time, in a legal challenge to the city’s new voter ID law.
Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns issued a statement calling the ruling “a huge victory not only for our City but charter cities throughout the State … We will not back down in our efforts to secure local control over our local issues and will continue to fight for the City.”
The backstory
Huntington Beach voters approved a measure last year allowing the city to require people to show ID when casting a ballot. State officials say that contradicts California law, which asks voters to provide ID when they register to vote, but generally not at polling places. The state and a Huntington Beach resident subsequently sued the city.
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What did the judge rule?
Orange County Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas ruled that, as a charter city, Huntington Beach is allowed to set its own rules for municipal elections. He also cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Crawford v. Marion County Election Board, which concluded that requiring voter ID does not violate the constitutional right to vote.
President Trump’s plans for Voter ID
During a hearing last Thursday, lawyers for Huntington Beach asked the judge to take into consideration President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on election integrity, aimed at strengthening “voter citizenship verification.” The city said its voter ID rule would ensure its elections don’t run afoul of that order and a Congressional bill that aims to tighten requirements on voters to prove their citizenship.
What does the state say about the setback?
Both Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta issued statements blasting the decision.
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“The Court got it wrong,” Weber said. “Access to the ballot box is a key component of our democracy.” Bonta added that “we look forward to moving on and appealing the decision. We remain confident that Measure A will ultimately be struck down.”
What’s next?
More of those appeals. In fact, the state appellate court has already weighed in on the case, sending it back to Dourbetas earlier this year to issue a ruling for one side or the other — which the judge did today — so that the case can be appealed.
When would Voter ID start in the city?
Huntington Beach’s voter ID rule is set to go into effect in 2026, but the city has yet to specify whether or how it would implement it.
How we got here
Updated April 7, 2025 at 3:16 PM PDT
This story has been updated to includes comments from city and state officials.
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