In 2015 the OC Register voted Huntington Beach the “Best Place to Live.” Today the city is involved in a political war drawing attention from state government. Its own residents admit they do not recognize the politics that have taken over their city. One contributor to this divide was the City Council’s decision to introduce a Voter ID measure that requires voters to present an I.D. at the polls and more ballot box monitoring. Now that the measure passed, it raises some concerns about voter suppression, lawsuit (s), budget, and a shift in focus from its constituency to conservative takeover.
There is an ongoing issue regarding voter suppression across America. Since federal government gives state lawmakers the authority to apply more stringent voting measures, states have been implementing stricter Voter ID laws that create redundancy in the process and make it more difficult for the American people to vote. This is influencing charter cities like Huntington Beach to want to act as its own little state.
The passing of the Voter ID measure is a large scope societal issue and research proves this.
A research study conducted in Texas has shown a correlation between Voter ID mandates and voter suppression. Some impediments cited by Texas voters in 2016 were, family obligations (3.8%), pending application, lack of transportation, problems with necessary documents, or illness/disability impeding them from obtaining appropriate I.D. (each between 6-8%), work obligations (11.7%), lost or stolen (27%), Other (36%). Most of the voters who selected ‘other’ mentioned they recently moved; many were students.
Some have argued Huntington Beach is a charter city; therefore, it has the authority to operate without state law influence and can run its own municipal affairs.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta wrote a letter to the mayor and councilmembers on September 28, 2023, addressing how voter identification at the polls conflicts with state law and referenced past cases to show precedent on the issue, for example, City of Huntington Beach v. Becerra. The Attorney General advised Huntington Beach to put this measure to an end and stated they will be “ready to take appropriate action to ensure state law is upheld and voters’ rights are protected.” Since there are currently measures in place to monitor the drop boxes, the letter also addresses how more ballot drop box monitoring impinges on the County’s authority and may conflict with state law depending on the plans of implementation.
Historically, Orange County Registrar of Voters office is responsible for ensuring all practices and procedures abide by state law. Its current involvement helps secure a check and balance on the lower level of government to prevent voter fraud. To date there is no evidence of voter fraud in Huntington Beach- indicating – there is no need for expenditure on the creation of additional resources for the city to run its own municipal elections.
Orange County Registrar of Voters helps streamline the electoral process by including local, state, and federal items on one ballot. The new city Voter ID law will require planning a new method of obtaining and counting the municipal item votes, and all municipal election costs will be absorbed by the city. Some administrative costs associated with running an election are ballots, computer systems, databases, establishing and securing voting sites, hiring and training poll workers, and all of the supplies required to successfully and fairly run the election.
To provide some perspective on unfair voting, a study found the top barriers in the 2018 election were long lines and late openings, untrained or poorly trained poll workers, delays in receiving absentee ballots, voter registration problems, faulty or insufficient voting equipment, restrictive voter ID laws, problems with absentee ballots, intimidation and deceptive practices, and lack of voter assistance.
Now let’s talk about representation. The City Council has a responsibility to listen to its constituency and be their voice. Regardless of political affiliation, the “conservative” Republican and the “liberal” Democrat should be able to publicly and privately (voting) voice their opinions. This is part of democracy and should be upheld in a non-partisan approach. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case in Huntington Beach. Residents have spoken out saying they never had concerns about their mayor’s political affiliation because the focus was the betterment of the city. However, a few years ago they noticed a shift in focus and an uprise in political wars has ensued. One prime example of the shift in focus is a statement that was made by Huntington Beach Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark and released by the U.S. & World Report News:
“Most of California has become liberal. Why can’t we have an area for ourselves? I’m just fighting for the residents that want a place that represents their values.”
This is one of many statements made by the City Council that infer there is more to the Voter ID measure than may have been disclosed. The focus is not the safety, inclusiveness, and well-being of the community, but rather, efforts to make the city more conservative [for themselves].
The passing of the Voter ID measure is cause for concern because the City Council, and potentially poll workers, will have more power with less public oversight. The risk- it can be a subtle form of voter suppression and further polling place tactics can easily slip through the cracks.
How do we move forward? I challenge you to critically think about this topic. American voters are required to present a valid ID when we register to vote. Given the research, is it ethical to require voters to present an ID (again) when we submit our ballots? Are we making it harder for low-income, disabled, and elderly residents to vote? How do we bridge this gap now that the measure passed?
Remember the saying, “knowledge is power.” Knowledge can really be power when we apply it. We can educate ourselves and others on political practices, our rights, and make our voices heard to reverse this measure.
Crystal León, University of Southern California, Master of Social Work candidate, residing in South Orange County
Opinions expressed in community opinion pieces belong to the authors and not Voice of OC.
Voice of OC is interested in hearing different perspectives and voices. If you want to weigh in on this issue or others please email opinions@voiceofoc.org.