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A blimpish enclave in Southern California is embroiled successful a ineligible quality with the state's wide authorities implicit its elector ID instrumentality that was passed by much than 50% of the city's voters.
Huntington Beach Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark told Fox News Digital the latest suit from Sacramento authorities is conscionable different targeted onslaught connected the city's values.
"I'm a idiosyncratic of color, I grew up successful a low-income assemblage successful Los Angeles, and we each had IDs," Van Der Mark told Fox News Digital successful an interrogation Thursday. "And 1 happening that is truly frustrating is they're saying, radical similar maine are excessively ignorant oregon incapable of getting an ID, and that's insulting."
"This is decidedly authorities overreach," she said.
California's Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta and California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber filed a suit last week against the formation metropolis – which is astir 35 miles southbound of Los Angeles – challenging its elector ID law, Measure A, which amends the city’s charter to let elector ID requirements by 2026. It besides includes a request for further in-person voting locations.
CALIFORNIA SUES HUNTINGTON BEACH OVER VOTER ID LAW BACKED BY MAJORITY OF RESIDENTS
Huntington Beach Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark is defending the city's elector ID instrumentality that voters passed successful March 2024. (Getty Images)
"They're telling america 'it's okay, we don't request these measures of security,' but we're insisting connected them," Van Der Mark, elected successful 2023, said. "So, they tin writer us. We're going to propulsion guardant and bash what the radical privation america to do."
In their lawsuit, Bonta and Weber argued that the city’s elector ID instrumentality "unlawfully conflicts and is preempted by authorities law."
"The close to freely formed your vote is the instauration of our ideology and Huntington Beach’s elector ID argumentation flies successful the look of this principle," Bonta said successful a statement.
He argued that authorities elections already incorporate "robust elector ID requirements with beardown protections to forestall elector fraud." He said the caller requirements would disproportionately load "low-income voters, voters of color, young oregon aged voters, and radical with disabilities."
AG GARLAND PLEDGES TO FIGHT VOTER ID LAWS, ELECTION INTEGRITY MEASURES
Waves rotation past the Huntington Beach Pier, epicenter of the city's formation culture, successful Huntington Beach, California, connected Feb. 22, 2024. (Rick Loomis for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The City Council, led by a politically blimpish bulk since 2022, stirred sizeable statement by making contentious decisions connected assorted issues recently, similar the government-only emblem protocol connected metropolis properties and removal of sexually explicit books successful the nationalist library.
"Sacramento is trying to marque an illustration retired of Huntington Beach," Van Der Mark said. "They're suing us each accidental they tin and each clip we bash something, they effort to constitute bills to antagonistic what we're doing oregon to marque what we're doing illegal. So, I judge they're trying to sway america into submission, and we're not going to let that to happen."
LA MAYOR BREAK-IN SUSPECT WAS ‘TARGETING’ BASS, GASCON SAYS
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a suit past week against Huntington Beach, challenging its elector ID law, Measure A. (Getty Images)
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California officials archetypal warned Huntington Beach officials to driblet the elector ID connection successful September. The suit argues that Measure A violates authorities instrumentality and is invalid due to the fact that it conflicts with California's Constitution, which grants charter cities the authorization to govern "municipal affairs" but prohibits section laws from conflicting with statewide laws.
Under current California law, according to the AG's office, "voter individuality is established earlier registered voters get to the polls; astatine the polls, registered voters are lone required to supply their sanction and code – nary further recognition is required."
This is not the archetypal clip the authorities has threatened a blimpish metropolis implicit section laws passed. Last year, Bonta threatened respective schoolhouse districts implicit their parental notification policies.
Fox News' Bradford Bretz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jamie Joseph is simply a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital sum of the Senate.
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