California Attorney General Rob Bonta was handed a humiliating loss by a county judge over election security, but the government official vowed to keep the fight going.
The decision by Orange County Superior Court Judge Nico Dourbetas on April 7 crushes, for now, an attempt by the state attorney general to halt a Huntington Beach voter ID ordinance.
Bonta, joined by California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, stepped in after residents of Huntington Beach approved a measure requiring IDs for in-person voting.
Dourbetas ruled that the ID requirement would not disenfranchise future voters.
“There is no showing that a voter identification requirement compromises the integrity of a municipal election,” the judge wrote, according to The Orange County Register.
Despite losing to the charter city in court, Bonta vowed to prevail in a rematch at a higher court.
He boldly stated that Dourbetas was incorrect.
“Yet again, we believe the Orange County Superior Court got it wrong,” Bonta said in a statement,
Bonta’s partner in suppressing the will of the voters, Shirley Weber, also doubted Dourbetas.
Should there be voter ID laws at the federal level?
“The Court got it wrong,” Weber said, piggybacking off Bonta in the same statement. “Access to the ballot box is a key component of our democracy.
“The Court’s order is in direct conflict with California election laws and will result in disenfranchising California voters.”
Remarks from Huntington Beach’s side had a much different tone.
The charter city’s statement touted the “huge victory” in court and underlined the city’s vow to “not back down” from efforts to secure local control of local elections.
Please see statement below on behalf of Huntington Beach Mayor, Gracey Van Der Mark regarding today’s Superior Court decision to dismiss the State’s lawsuit challenging the City’s Voter ID law:
Today, the Superior Court granted the City’s motion to dismiss the State’s lawsuit… pic.twitter.com/z51KEVBwnb
— City of Huntington Beach (@CityofHBPIO) November 15, 2024
“The US Supreme Court has already determined that voter ID does not violate the right to vote,” city attorney Mike Vigliotta said in the same statement. “While we anticipate this fight isn’t over, we are pleased with the Court’s fair and just evaluation of the weakness of the State and Bixby’s legal case.
“I am honored that the Council chose me to continue to fight for Huntington Beach, for the integrity of our elections systems, and for just outcomes under the law.”
The fight to secure American elections is a never-ending one. Bad actors from outside our nation and from within seek to undermine the fabric of our elected government to further their own interests.
Perhaps even more concerning are those within state governments looking to put American voters in the back seat of their own republic.
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