California outlaws local voter ID rules

SACRAMENTO, California — Local governments in California will be barred from establishing local laws that require residents present identification to vote in elections under a new law signed Sunday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The legislation — from state Sen. Dave Min, an Orange County Democrat running for Rep. Katie Porter ’s open House seat — is a direct response to a controversial ballot measure approved this year by voters in Huntington Beach requiring people to show photo identification at the polls. It will take effect on Jan. 1.

California is one of 14 states that does not require voter ID at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures .

The Republican-led city, whose leaders often tussle with Sacramento Democrats, has maintained that its status as a charter city gives it home rule over elections administration.

But Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber aren’t buying it: The officials sued Huntington Beach in April to invalidate the law, arguing it interferes with state voting rights 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 an April statement regarding the lawsuit.

Min’s legislation is one of nearly a half-dozen bills introduced by Democratic state lawmakers this past year looking to close legal gray areas in state election laws. The changes aim to prevent Huntington Beach, Shasta County and other conservative local governments from establishing election policies that are often driven by suspicions of voter fraud.

Legislation from state Sen. Steve Bradford, signed into law Wednesday , clarifies record-keeping procedures for secure elections data and increases the secretary of state’s regulatory power over poll books and other voting systems used in local elections.

Ultraconservative local officials in Shasta County unsuccessfully attempted to dump electionic voting machines last year, citing baseless concerns of voter fraud. Their arguments mimicked claims about voting machines made by former President Donald Trump following the 2020 presidential election.