Huntington Beach\u2019s voter identification charter amendment has been denied, after the California Supreme Court declined to hear the city\u2019s appeal on Wednesday. <\/p>\n
In a 2024 special election, Huntington Beach residents passed Measure A, a city charter amendment<\/a> that would allow the city to check identification in municipal elections beginning this year. But state officials and Huntington Beach resident Mark Bixby have both pushed back on the city<\/a>, arguing that a voter ID requirement was illegal and infringed on rights.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s victory makes one thing crystal clear: No city in our state, charter and non-charter alike, is above the law,\u201d Bonta said in a statement on Wednesday. \u201cAll along, Secretary of State Weber and I have maintained that Huntington Beach\u2019s voter ID policy is illegal, and now, the state\u2019s highest court has weighed in and agreed with us. Measure A won\u2019t be taking effect \u2014 ever. Huntington Beach\u2019s leaders have been parroting the Trump Administration\u2019s talking points by questioning the integrity of our elections. In court, the city\u2019s allegations were resoundingly rejected. I remain fully committed to protecting the right to vote from baseless attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n Orange County Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas ruled in April 2025<\/a> that voter ID would not compromise the integrity of a municipal election. A three-judge panel of the state Fourth District Court of Appeal disagreed, however, in a November ruling<\/a>, stating that the requirement was preempted by elections code that was recently updated.<\/p>\n The code was updated after Senate Bill 1174, authored by then-state Sen. Dave Min<\/a>, passed last year.<\/p>\n Now Huntington Beach is left without a voter ID requirement after the state Supreme Court has denied to hear either the state case, brought forward by California Atty. General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber, or Bixby\u2019s case.<\/p>\n