A JUDGE HAS rejected the state’s lawsuit against Huntington Beach’s voter ID requirement (Shutterstock).
An Orange County judge has rejected a lawsuit by the State of California seeking to block Huntington Beach from enforcing a voter ID law approved by voters.
The Associated Press is reporting that Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas issued a ruling Friday saying that there was no state law banning a city from requiring that voters show identification when casting ballots in person.
“It’s a massive black eye to the State of California,” said Michael Gates, Huntington Beach’s city attorney,” adding that “Huntington Beach is not going to be intimidated or deterred.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonfa’s office claimed that Friday’s decision “doesn’t address the merits of the case” and the “voter ID policy clearly conflicts with state law.”
Surf City voters approved the voter ID rules in March, rules that will go into effect in 2026. The city is considered likely to then conduct its municipal elections separate from the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
