Overview
- The Fourth District Court of Appeal reversed a lower court and invalidated Huntington Beach’s charter amendment, prohibiting any voter ID requirement for local elections.
- The panel relied on Elections Code Section 10005 (SB 1174), which preempts local voter ID rules regardless of a city’s charter status.
- The decision orders the trial court to halt implementation of Measure A, which was set to require identification for in-person municipal voting starting in 2026.
- City officials said they are reviewing the ruling, and they will have ten days to seek California Supreme Court review once the appellate judgment becomes final, anticipated between December 4 and 15, 2025.
- The measure was challenged in companion cases by resident Mark Bixby and by the state through Attorney General Rob Bonta, who argued it conflicted with state law and would burden voters.