A law requiring voters to show identification in one California city has overcome a major hurdle after a judge dismissed a state lawsuit.
On Friday, Orange County Superior Court Judge Niko Dorbetas granted a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta against Huntington Beach earlier this year. The lawsuit challenges the validity of Amendment A to the city charter, which passed with 53% of the vote, requiring voter ID in city elections starting in 2026. LA Times Reported.
Bonta previously argued that Measure A “disproportionately burdens low-income voters, voters of color, young and older voters, and people with disabilities.”
The lawsuit also alleged that violations SB1174prohibits all local governments in California from “requiring a person to present identification for the purpose of voting or submitting a ballot.” Far-left Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill in late September.
But Dulbetas ruled that the Huntington Beach ordinance and state law are not “inconsistent.”
“The city charter is permissive, so there is no violation of state election law at this time,” he said, according to the newspaper. orange county register.
“I expect this fight is not over yet.”
Huntington Beach officials subsequently praised the ruling.
city attorney michael gates called it “a giant black eye on California.”
“What California needs to know, even if it doesn't know it already, is that Huntington Beach will not be intimidated or deterred,” he said in a statement.
Mayor Gracie Van Der Mark argued that the city and judge's ruling had withstood “attacks by Governor Newsom and the state.”
“This is a great day for our city,” she and other officials said in a joint statement, according to the Times.
But they likewise acknowledged the possibility of an appeal.
“I expect this fight is not over yet,” Gates said.
Van der Mark added: “We will not back down and will continue to fight for City.”
Indeed, AG Bonta's office indicated as much in a statement regarding Friday's ruling. “The court's decision does not address the merits of the case. We continue to believe that Huntington Beach's voter ID policy clearly violates state law, and we will respond appropriately in court,” the statement said.
This is not the first time this has happened in Huntington Beach, a Republican stronghold. purple Orange County opposed California's woke policy. People there fought back against lockdown measures in 2020, and in March voted to outlaw pride flags on municipal buildings.
Earlier this month, we elected Lisa Lane Burns to the City Clerk. Lane Burns, endorsed by the Orange County Republican Party, made voter ID a central issue of her campaign.
H/T: mario naufal
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