California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation that prevents local governments from requiring voters to present identification at the polls, a law aimed at curbing conservative efforts in cities like Huntington Beach.
The new law is a response to Huntington Beach’s controversial voter ID requirement, which was passed by the city’s residents in March. In April, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber sued Huntington Beach to invalidate the law, arguing the local measure violated state voting protections.
“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 said in a statement when the lawsuit was filed.
The new measure, which becomes effective on January 1, 2025, makes California one of 14 states that do not require voter ID for elections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to union workers and volunteers on election day at San Francisco’s IBEW Local 6 union hall on September 14, 2021. Newsom has signed legislation that prevents local governments from requiring voters to present identification at the polls.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Authored by state Senator Dave Min, the legislation was passed by the California Assembly and Senate earlier this year. Min, a Democrat running for Congress, introduced the bill so local governments cannot impose their own voter ID rules, which he said disproportionately affect low-income, elderly and minority voters.
“We cannot have 100 different charter cities making up 100 different sets of voting rules based on fringe conspiracy theories,” Min said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.
Huntington Beach, led by a Republican city council, has defended its voter ID law, saying its status as a charter city gives it authority over local elections. The state’s lawsuit challenged that position, arguing that state laws take precedence.
“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 said in an April statement about the lawsuit.
California’s Democratic lawmakers have introduced multiple bills aimed at closing loopholes in election laws, particularly to prevent conservative-leaning places like Shasta County from adopting voter ID or other restrictive measures.
This legislative push comes in response to broader national debates over voter fraud, which intensified after the 2020 presidential election. Efforts to impose voter ID requirements or eliminate electronic voting machines, such as those attempted in Shasta County, are part of a movement spurred by baseless claims of election fraud made by former President Donald Trump and his supporters.
Min’s bill is part of a larger strategy to ensure consistent voting rights protections across California. Other recently passed legislation includes measures to increase the secretary of state’s control over voting systems and ensure election data security.
Despite ongoing legal battles, Huntington Beach officials have yet to formally respond to the state’s lawsuit.
