California has filed a lawsuit against the city of Huntington Beach over its recently passed voter ID law. The state argues that the law contravenes state regulations.
Huntington Beach, along with Shasta County, has implemented election integrity measures specific to their jurisdictions. However, the response from the California executive branch and state legislature, which receive support from far-left donors, has been one of discontent, resulting in legal action and legislative countermeasures.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) filed a lawsuit against Huntington Beach on Monday. This action comes after voters approved a ballot measure last month, granting the city the authority to mandate voter ID in local elections beginning in 2026. Notably, while the state mandates presenting identification only for first-time voters, Huntington Beach's measure extends this requirement to all voters in local elections.
With a population close to 200,000, Huntington Beach reflects a political landscape where about 54,000 residents are registered Republicans and approximately 41,000 are Democrats. This political divide is mirrored in the ongoing clash between California and conservative-leaning Shasta County over ballot counting procedures. Despite Republicans making up 51% of registered voters in Shasta County, a significant departure from the statewide Republican identification rate of about 30% among adults, tensions persist.
Last year, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors opted to terminate its contract with Dominion over concerns regarding the voting machines. Subsequently, the county resolved to transition to hand-counting for all elections. However, in response to Shasta County's decision to terminate its contract with Dominion, California enacted legislation in October prohibiting counties from terminating contracts for existing voting systems until a replacement system meeting state standards is secured.
Read the lawsuit here.
