State attorney general, secretary of state file appeal in Huntington Beach voter ID lawsuit

California leaders filed a notice to appeal on Tuesday, the latest step in a battle with Huntington Beach over voter identification.

State Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber are seeking to reverse an Orange County Superior Court decision from November, where a judge ruled that the matter was not yet “ripe for adjudication.”

Measure A, passed by Huntington Beach voters last March, allows the city to require voter identification be shown when voting in person during municipal elections, starting in 2026. But the language of the measure states that the city “may” require voter ID, not that it definitively will.

Judge Nico Dourbetas wrote that Measure A is “permissive and discretionary in character, and thus currently presents no conflict with state elections law.”

Bonta and Weber disagree.

“The Orange County Superior Court got it wrong — plain and simple,” Bonta said in a statement Tuesday. “Secretary of State Weber and I firmly believe not only that the time is right for us to bring our lawsuit, but also that Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy is unlawful.”

Bonta said that a brief will be filed with the California Fourth District Court of Appeal in coming weeks, stating reasons they believe the trial court’s judgment was wrong.

The state originally filed a lawsuit last April, stating that Measure A was preempted by state law and therefore invalid.

“As California’s chief elections officer, I am responsible for the administration and enforcement of the state’s election laws,” Weber said in a statement. “Part of that role is ensuring that we encourage democracy through voter participation and stop attempts that burden democracy by preventing or discouraging eligible citizens from voting. Our state will continue to challenge any actions which violate state laws or hinder participation in our democracy.”

Huntington Beach leaders have argued that Measure A will ensure faith in local election results, also maintaining their stance that the city’s charter city status enables it to administer its municipal elections.

City Atty. Michael Gates posted on X on Tuesday that the city will “fight vigorously in any court to keep its new Voter ID law.”

In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom also signed into law Senate Bill No. 1174, which bars local governments from enacting laws requiring residents to show a valid form of identification in order to vote.

Gates said at the time that the law was unconstitutional as it relates to charter cities and was “not going to stop us from what we’re doing.”