Attorney General Bonta: Orange County Superior Court Wrong Again in Huntington Beach Voter ID Case, State Looks Forward to Appealing Decision

SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D. today issued the following statements in response to the Orange County Superior Court’s decision denying the State’s petition for writ of mandate concerning the City of Huntington Beach’s voter identification (voter ID) law, Measure A. Without citing any evidence that fraudulent voting occurs with any regularity in the City or has ever compromised the outcome of a municipal election, Measure A amended Huntington Beach’s charter to purportedly allow the City to impose voter ID requirements at the polls for all municipal elections starting in 2026. The petition for writ of mandate asserted that state law prohibits and overrides Measure A.  

“Yet again, we believe the Orange County Superior Court got it wrong,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Earlier this year, the California Fourth District Court of Appeal wrote that Huntington Beach’s argument that ‘it had a constitutional right to regulate its own municipal elections free from state interference . . . is . . . problematic.’ We agree. Now that we have a final order from the Orange County Superior Court, we look forward to moving on and appealing the decision. We remain confident that Measure A will ultimately be struck down.” 

“The Court got it wrong. Access to the ballot box is a key component of our democracy. The Court’s order is in direct conflict with California election laws and will result in disenfranchising California voters,” said Secretary of State Shirley Weber. “As California’s chief elections officer, I will continue to advocate for this state and its eligible voters by partnering with Attorney General Bonta to appeal this decision.”

A copy of the court’s order can be found here.