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California officers are suing the beachside metropolis of Huntington Beach over a voter ID modification it handed final month with assist from a majority of residents.
The lawsuit, from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, challenges Huntington Beach’s voter ID law, Measure A, which amends the town’s constitution to permit voter ID necessities by 2026.
In their lawsuit, Bonta and Weber argued that the town’s voter ID law “unlawfully conflicts and is preempted by state law.”
Waves roll previous the Huntington Beach Pier, epicenter of the town’s beach tradition, in Huntington Beach, Ca. on February twenty second, 2024. (Rick Loomis for The Washington Post through Getty Images)
“The right to freely cast your vote is the foundation of our democracy and Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy flies in the face of this principle,” Bonta stated in an announcement.
He argued that state elections already comprise “robust voter ID requirements with strong protections to prevent voter fraud.” He stated the brand new necessities would disproportionately burden “low-income voters, voters of color, young or elderly voters, and people with disabilities.”
The City Council positioned the voter ID measure on the March poll after taking a sequence of hotly contested choices on matters starting from flag flying to the elimination of books from the general public library’s youngsters’s part over issues concerning the appropriateness of supplies. The strikes had been initiated by a politically conservative council majority, which took workplace in 2022, and have drawn scores of residents on all sides of points to metropolis conferences.
AG GARLAND PLEDGES TO FIGHT VOTER ID LAWS, ELECTION INTEGRITY MEASURES
The measure — which might let the town require voter identification, enhance in-person voting websites and monitor poll drop containers in native elections — gained on the polls in March with 53%, county election information exhibits.
City Attorney Michael Gates stated the modification accredited by voters final month is “not only permissible” however backed by the state structure.
“The people of Huntington Beach have made their voices clear on this issue and the people’s decision on the March 5th ballot measures for election integrity is final,” Gates stated in an announcement “To that end, the City will vigorously uphold and defend the will of the people.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, left, Secretary of State Shirley Weber takes questions after saying a lawsuit to guard voter rights at a information convention on the California Department of Justice in Los Angeles Monday, April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Bonta, a Democrat, stated it was not instantly clear how the measure could be applied. In California, voters can forged ballots in individual and in addition by returning ballots to drop containers or by mail.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Bonta’s workplace and the Orange County Registrar of Voters for added remark.
Huntington Beach, dubbed “Surf City USA” and identified for its scenic shoreline, has a historical past of sparring with state officers over the measures it may possibly take below its metropolis constitution on matters starting from immigration to housing.
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While Democrats outnumber Republicans in Orange County, the GOP is dominant in Huntington Beach with practically 54,000 registered voters versus 41,000 Democrats, county information exhibits.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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