US EditionHuntington Beach voter ID measure violates California law, appeals court says
The California Fourth Appellate District Court ruled that local voter ID laws violate state law to prevent inconsistent and potentially discriminatory voting barriers, the judges said.
- On Monday, Nov. 3, the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana struck down Huntington Beach, California's voter ID measure, finding it conflicts with state election law and was approved by Justices Joanne Motoike, Thomas Delaney and Maurice Sanchez.
- Residents approved Measure A in March 2024, but shortly after state legislators barred local voter ID and California officials, including Attorney General Rob Bonta, sued Huntington Beach.
- Framing the dispute narrowly, the court explained the three-judge panel said voter ID is a matter of statewide electoral integrity and ordered Nico Dourbetas, OC Superior Court Judge, to issue a writ of mandate and permanent injunction.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta praised the ruling on Monday, saying his office remains committed to safeguarding voting rights and no city can make voting harder in California.
- This marks the second appeals loss for Huntington Beach after OC Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas' rulings were overturned; the city can appeal to the California Supreme Court after oral arguments on Oct. 22.
21 Articles
21 Articles
AG Bonta, SOS Weber Celebrate Appellate Decision Striking Down Huntington Beach’s Voter ID Law
An appellate court just struck down Huntington Beach’s voter ID law. Let that sink in. A lower court upheld the city’s voter-approved voter ID law, but a California appellate court struck it down. California Fourth District Court of Appeal’s decision holding that Huntington Beach’s voter identification (voter ID) law, Measure A, is unlawful and preempted by state law, reversing a lower court decision issued on April 7, 2025, the AG said. “No mat…
California appeals court strikes down Huntington Beach voter ID law
A California appeals court ruled Monday that a voter identification measure approved by Huntington Beach residents last year violates state law. Voters in the beachside city approved a measure requiring residents to show valid identification when casting a ballot. The measure, which would have impacted city elections, was expected to go into effect in 2026. The state of California filed a lawsuit arguing the measure “unlawfully conflicts with an…
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