Huntington Beach voters are no longer on track to show IDs at their polling locations after a three-judge panel from the California Fourth Appellate District Court of Appeal struck down the city’s law approving voter ID.
The law in question was approved by Surf City voters in March 2024, allowing city leaders to require residents to show an ID to cast their ballot in local elections.
[Read: Voter IDs, Noncitizen Voting: Two Orange County Cities Fuel Opposing Debates on Voting]
While the law wasn’t officially implemented, city council members campaigned on implementing the new voter ID rules in time for the 2026 election.
Shortly after the measure was adopted by voters, state legislators approved a law banning cities from implementing voter ID requirements as California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the city alleging the rules were unconstitutional.
[Read: CA Attorney General Sues Huntington Beach Over Voter ID Law]
On Monday, the appeals court issued a ruling siding with the state, concluding that cities do not have the legal power to frame how people can vote since it’s a statewide issue.
The ruling was approved by Justices Joanne Motoike, Thomas Delaney and Maurice Sanchez.
“In recent years, a vigorous nationwide debate has arisen over whether voters should be required to present identification at the polls to vote,” the judges wrote. “We are not called upon to resolve this debate.”
“Instead, this case presents us a much narrower, simpler question: is voter identification a matter of ‘integrity of the electoral process,’ which our Supreme Court has held is a matter of nationwide concern,” they continued. “We conclude it is.”
In a Monday afternoon statement, city spokesperson Corbin Carson said city officials are still reading the ruling.
“The City is reviewing the appellate court’s decision and evaluating next steps.”
Bonta issued a statement praising the ruling on Monday afternoon, saying his office remained committed to safeguarding voting rights.
“California’s elections are already fair, safe, and secure,” Bonta wrote. “No city in our state, charter and non-charter alike, can make it more difficult for voters to cast their ballots.”
Weber, who’s the state’s chief elections official, also bashed the city for fighting back against state law in a statement.
“In 2023, Attorney General Bonta and I warned the City that its charter amendment was preempted by state law — and their steadfast refusal has squandered taxpayer dollars,” Weber wrote. “I will always stand on the side of Californians.”
It’s the second time Huntington Beach leaders have lost in an appeals court on the case, and the second time OC Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas’ rulings were overturned.
In November 2024, Dourbetas said the state sued too early, noting that Huntington Beach officials had yet to actually explain how they would implement voter ID and that as long as it only impacted local voting, it was legal.
[Read: OC Superior Court Judge Lets Huntington Beach Voter ID Requirements Stand]
In February, the appellate court told Dourbetas he needed to make a decision on whether or not voter ID was constitutional, and he ultimately sided with the city.
[Read: OC Judge Greenlights Huntington Beach Voter ID Rules for Local Elections]
In Monday’s ruling, the appeals court judges overturned his ruling and ordered Dourbetas to issue a writ of mandate invalidating Huntington Beach’s voter ID laws.
They also called for him to “enter a permanent injunction barring defendants from implementing,” any elements of the voter ID law, and state that the city’s charter is preempted by California state law on the issue.
In their decision, Appellate Judges Motoike, Delaney and Sanchez also said their ruling balances state interests in elections.
“It prevents the State’s political subdivisions from enacting or enforcing voter identification requirements beyond those required by state or federal law. In so doing, it preserves the State’s careful balance of competing interests, ensuring elections are secure from voter fraud while minimizing potentially discriminatory barriers to voting.”
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.