Huntington Beach voters are about to elect a new city clerk who could decide the future of Surf City’s elections amidst an ongoing debate over whether voter ID should be implemented or not. 

Since the clerk administers the city’s elections, the race could heavily impact the city after Huntington Beach’s voter ID laws have drawn the scrutiny – and legal threat – of the California Attorney General, who considers the law unconstitutional. 

[Read: CA Attorney General Sues Huntington Beach Over Voter ID Law]

It also comes after the Governor signed a bill banning voter ID laws. 

The race is between realtor and library commissioner Lisa Lane Barnes and Regina Blankenhorn, who’s worked in the Tustin city manager’s office for over a decade and previously worked in the San Juan Capistrano city clerk’s office. 

Barnes has focused her campaign almost exclusively on the issue of voter ID, pledging that she’ll work from Day 1 to implement voter ID. 

Barnes has been endorsed by the city attorney, along with the county Republican Party and the city council’s conservative majority, self-dubbed the “Fab 4.” 

She declined to comment about the state lawsuit in an interview with Voice of OC last week, but said the state’s constitution gave the city the right to move forward with voter ID. 

“Any changes to that would be required to go to the vote of the people to change the California Constitution,” Barnes said. “It’s part of the city charter, and when the council sets forth a plan or procedures on how this will move forward, I will implement their plan.”

Blankenhorn said she won’t roll out voter ID requirements if it jeopardizes the election. 

“I will follow the law that ensures every citizen’s vote is counted, and that’s all I can do as city clerk,” Blankenhorn said in an interview earlier this month. “When elected, I would have to confer with the city attorney, the Orange County Registrar of Voters and the California Secretary of State to even understand how this could happen.” 

Blankenhorn has been endorsed by the county Democratic Party and outgoing City Clerk Robin Estanislau.

What Does a City Clerk Do? 

City clerks are responsible for managing the city’s records and overseeing paperwork filed by candidates running for office in Huntington Beach, along with taking notes at city council meetings. 

In most Orange County cities, city clerk isn’t a position handed out by the voters. 

Instead, city clerks are hired employees and work under the city council. 

But Huntington Beach’s clerk could soon have a job no other clerk does in Orange County – running the city’s elections. 

Views on Voter ID 

In March, Surf City residents approved an addition to the city charter letting them use voter ID in local elections, requiring anyone who shows up to the polls to prove they are who they say they are. 

The requirement does not apply to mail in ballots, which are sent to every registered California voter by law. 

CIty Attorney Michael Gates says voter ID laws won’t be used until the 2026 election at the earliest. 

But it remains unclear how those laws will be implemented – if at all. 

California Attorney General Rob Bonta also sued the city, saying the voter ID requirement violates state laws. 

Gates argues Huntington Beach has the right to run its own elections under the state constitution. 

Amidst the lawsuit, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that bans cities from implementing voter ID as of Jan 1. 2025 that was put forward by State Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine).

Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page has declined to state whether he would continue running the city’s elections if Surf City moved forward with voter ID, meaning the city clerk’s office could have to take over that responsibility. 

The Candidates’ Backgrounds

While Blankenhorn has never worked for the city of Huntington Beach, she’s spent most of her professional career working for the government, first as a teacher, then as a city staffer in San Juan Capistrano and later Tustin, where she’s been for the last decade. 

Her current role is executive coordinator for the city manager’s office, where she coordinates with other government agencies on the city’s behalf and serves as a liaison between the city council and the public. 

“I am the liaison for all the elected officials we deal with, be them federal, state and local,” Blankenhorn said. “You have to have the right tact and the right diplomacy to deal with these people.” 

Blankenhorn said she never saw herself running for office after working in local government for years, but that she wanted to make sure somebody qualified became city clerk, adding that the final push to run came when she saw Barnes would be unopposed in the election. 

“That’s why I decided to run and do it. Why was I going to let her run unopposed? It just didn’t feel right,” Blankenhorn said. “That is what propelled me to run. I am a resident there. I want my city clerk to know what the heck they’re doing. Being a realtor was not going to cut it for me.” 

Meanwhile, Barnes has faced frequent questions over her qualifications for the office, with opponents highlighting how she’s never worked in government.

Barnes says her time in business brings her a “broader strategic vision,” and that her bachelor’s degree in organizational management “well exceeds the statutory administrative duties of the office.” 

“I bring lots of high-level business experience,” Barnes said. “My experience with a global corporation, a commissioner at the city and my involvement with the city helps me understand the needs for this city.” 

“Huntington Beach is the fourth largest city in the county,” she continued. “The residents deserve a true leader that has a wider perspective and a high level of business experience.” 

Plans Beyond Voter ID 

Barnes’ primary plans beyond voter ID is to try and bring more funding into the city by selling more passports from the city clerk’s office, also noting that they should look into using AI language translation for public meetings. 

“I know we can increase the sales of the passport. Not the price, the sales,” Barnes said. “I have worked at a very high level in sales and project implementation, and yes, there is a plan, there will be a plan in place on how to increase those sales and it is centered around some marketing.” 

Blankenhorn said she wants to wait and observe how the office currently works before making many shifts, but wants to implement a program she started in Tustin to help introduce high school and community college students to government jobs. 

“We did it with Girls in Government, but I’d like to extend that and make it Youth in Government,” Blankenhorn said. “It really introduces government careers to the graduating seniors of high school and those in the first two years in community college so they can see what their degrees can go for.” 

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated Blankenhorn worked in the Tustin City Clerk’s office, not the San Juan Capistrano City Clerk’s office. We regret the error. 

Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @NBiesiada.