Huntington Beach City Council to Continue with 2026 Voter ID Rules Despite SB 1174

Although the California state assembly has approved Senate Bill (SB) 1174, which bans rogue voter identification (VI) laws, the city of Huntington Beach has every intention to continue with its Charter Amendment.

Dubbed the Voter Integrity bill, SB 1174 passed the Assembly, 57-16, on August 27 and was sent to Gov. Newsom for his signature on September 3.

“That bill means nothing to the city of Huntington Beach,” Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates said on behalf of the Huntington Beach City Council. “The city is going to proceed with its voter ID laws because it has a constitutional right to do so.”

The legislation was drafted in response to Huntington Beach voters approving the Charter Amendment, which was on the March 5 primary ballot. Some 53.40 percent voted in favor and 46.60 percent voted against, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters website.

“SB 1174 is completely inconsequential,” Gates told OrangeCountyLawyers.com. “What the legislature is doing is a bunch of bluster and symbolism.”

The purpose of the legislation is to create uniformity by preventing a patchwork of varying election requirements statewide, according to state Senator Dave Min (D-Orange County), who introduced it.

Under current state law California Elections Code (CEC) Section 2150(a)(7), a person with a California driver’s license is required to provide their license number when submitting a paper voter registration affidavit.

“This legislation makes clear that election integrity and voter eligibility requirements are exclusively up to the State of California,” Min said in a statement online. “We cannot have 100 different charter cities making up 100 different sets of voting rules, based on fringe conspiracy theories.”

Min alleged that the Huntington Beach City Council has failed to produce evidence of voter fraud that would warrant voter ID requirements.

“I have repeatedly told the Huntington Beach City Council members pushing this issue that if they were to produce any evidence of widespread voter fraud, I would lead efforts to change California’s voter eligibility rules,” Min added.

The charter amendment, known officially as Measure 1, allows the implementation of voter ID requirements in Huntington Beach city elections starting in 2026.

Measure 1 also permits the city of Huntington Beach to monitor ballot drop-boxes and add more in-person voting locations but contains no details about what type of identification might be required, when it would need to be presented, or who would determine the adequacy of identification that is presented.

“The lack of thought put into this measure is embarrassing, but it was rushed through the City Council and onto a primary election ballot,” said City Councilmember Rhonda Bolton who does not believe voter identification is needed in Huntington Beach. “It’s common knowledge that primaries tend to have low voter turnout.”

Currently on election day at a polling location, residents desiring to vote only need to state their name and address and once the precinct officer finds their name on the roster, the voter signs before voting, according to Elections Code Section 14216.

“Senate Bill 1174 will not require the Orange County Registrar of Voters to change how we currently conduct elections,” Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page told OrangeCountyLawyers.com. “Given the existing litigation between the State and the City of Huntington Beach, I will not comment about Huntington Beach’s Charter amendment.”

Attorney General Rob Bonta sued Huntington Beach on April 15 in Orange County Superior Court alleging that Measure 1 threatens the foundation of American democracy.
Bonta did not respond to requests for comment.

“I had no difficulty understanding the Attorney General’s position that Voter ID is illegal under California law,” Bolton told OrangeCountyLawyers.com. “I believe it’s helpful to have the legislature underscore this fact. This measure is a solution in search of a problem.”