A conservative enclave in Southern California, Huntington Beach, is embroiled in a legal dispute with the state’s liberal authorities over its voter ID law. The law, known as Measure A, was passed by over 50% of the city’s voters and aims to require voter ID by 2026 as well as additional in-person voting locations. The city’s Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark sees the lawsuit from Sacramento as a targeted attack on the city’s values. She argues that the law is not about discrimination but rather ensuring the security and integrity of the voting process.
The lawsuit filed by California’s Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta and California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber against Huntington Beach contends that the voter ID law conflicts with state law and is preempted by it. Bonta argues that the voter ID law will disproportionately burden low-income voters, voters of color, young or elderly voters, and people with disabilities. The city council, led by a politically conservative majority, has made contentious decisions recently on various issues. Van Der Mark believes that Sacramento is trying to make an example out of Huntington Beach and is suing the city every opportunity they can to counter their decisions.
The city of Huntington Beach has been warned by California officials to drop the voter ID proposal, as it is seen as violating state law. Under current California law, voter identity is established before registered voters get to the polls, where they are only required to provide their name and address, with no further identification needed. This is not the first time that the state has threatened a conservative city over local laws passed; in the past, several school districts were warned over their parental notification policies. Mayor Van Der Mark remains adamant that the city will push forward and do what the people want them to do despite the legal challenges from the state.
Mayor Van Der Mark, who grew up in a low-income community in Los Angeles, argues that the voter ID law is not about discriminating against certain groups of people but about ensuring the security of the voting process. She finds it insulting that the state’s authorities are suggesting that people like her are too ignorant or incapable of getting an ID. In response to the lawsuit, she states that the city will not be swayed into submission by Sacramento and will continue to stand by the values and decisions made by its residents. The city council, elected in 2023 and politically conservative since 2022, has faced considerable debate over recent decisions made on various issues.
California’s Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta emphasizes that the right to freely cast a vote is foundational to democracy and argues that the city’s voter ID policy goes against this principle. He asserts that state elections already have robust voter ID requirements with protections to prevent fraud and that the additional requirements would burden specific groups of voters. Despite the legal challenges and warnings from the state, Mayor Van Der Mark and the city council in Huntington Beach remain committed to upholding the voter ID law passed by a majority of residents. The legal dispute between the conservative city and California’s liberal authorities is ongoing, highlighting the ideological divide within the state on issues of voting rights and local governance.
