CA AG moves closer to blocking Huntington Beach’s voter ID law ahead of 2026

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is one step closer to securing a ban on requiring voter identification to vote after the Orange County Superior Court granted the state’s request for an appealable order.

Huntington Beach amended its city law to include Measure A which requires voter identification to vote at the polls at all municipal elections beginning in 2026. However, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning voter identification requirements in the state in 2024, but it did not take effect until the beginning of this year.

After Huntington Beach’s law was passed, Bonta sued the city, but the California Superior Court ruled that it was too soon for a lawsuit.

“The Court finds that this matter is not ripe for adjudication, as [the change to] the City’s Charter is permissive and discretionary in character, and thus currently presents no conflict with state elections law,” ruled California Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas.

However, Bonta requested the appeal, saying that it is important the case is settled with plenty of time before the 2026 midterm elections.

“With preparations for the 2026 elections beginning late next year, we want and need a state appellate court to weigh in expeditiously,” Bonta said. “When that happens, we are confident that we will prevail.”

Now that Bonta has been granted the appeal, he will be making the case that Huntington Beach’s voter identification policy is unlawful. In Bonta’s request for entry of judgment, he said that he respectfully disagreed with the earlier order and sought the appealable order as soon as possible in order to resolve the case before the 2026 midterm elections.

“We sought, and have now secured, an appealable order from the Orange County Superior Court,” Bonta said. “We look forward to filing our appeal and making our case before the California Fourth District Court of Appeal that Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy is unlawful.”

Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber found that the appeal was warranted and disagreed with the ruling because there was no evidence cited that fraudulent voting occurs regularly in Huntington Beach or that an election has ever been compromised in the city because of a lack of voter identification. Additionally, Bonta noted that California residents are already required to verify their identity when they register to vote.

“Measure A is a solution in search of a problem,” Weber said. “In California, we champion people’s voices, we do not suppress them. We encourage participation in our democracy, we do not burden it. We will continue to challenge the city's action which violates state law.”

The Orange County Superior Court is now entering an appealable order and Bonta will soon file his appeal.