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Huntington Beach is heading back to court with Attorney General Rob Bonta after the state’s top prosecutor filed a petition today for an appellate judge to rule if the city’s untested voter ID law is constitutional or not.
The request comes after an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled the state brought their case too early and let the law stand, an issue the state has also asked the appeals court to intervene on.
[Read: CA Attorney General Files Appeal in Huntington Beach Voter ID Lawsuit]
The entire case is centered on Measure A, a ballot measure approved by Huntington Beach voters last March that allows the city to require voter ID be shown for those voting in person within city limits, but not those who vote by mail.
In a statement on Thursday, Bonta said it’s essential that a judge rule on whether or not voter ID is constitutional now instead of waiting because preparations are already underway for the 2026 election.
“As we have said repeatedly, our elections are already secure, and applicants who register to vote in California are already required to verify their identity during the registration process,” Bonta wrote.
In the petition, Bonta also highlighted how if the city introduces new rules on voter ID too close to the election, the courts may not have time to sort out what rules are approved and which aren’t.
“The City of Huntington Beach and City Clerk Lisa Lane Barnes (“City”) apparently intend to adopt and enforce voter identification rules after elections officials begin planning for the 2026 elections and mere months before they are held, meaning any relief that an appeal may afford will come too late for elections officials and the City’s voters,” reads the state’s appeal petition.
To read the filing, click here.
City Attorney Michael Gates did not respond to requests for comment, but in the past has fiercely defended the city’s voter ID law.
“No matter what course the state takes, we are going to fight to keep our voter ID,” Gates said in a January interview. “Period.”
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.
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