Huntington Beach will ask voters in March if they want to implement voter identification requirements and local monitoring of ballot drop boxes in its elections, despite legal warnings from state officials that advised against placing the controversial proposals on ballots.
The election reforms have drawn the most scrutiny and uproar, but Huntington Beach voters will also weigh in on other proposals. The city is asking voters whether to update local flag laws, move to a two-year budget cycle and about several administrative changes.
The council approved moving ahead with the charter amendment proposals in a 4-3 vote Thursday night, Oct. 5, with the council’s conservative majority giving the OK.
Councilmember Casey McKeon said the election changes are about increasing faith and turnout in city elections and not about voter fraud.
Councilmember Natalie Moser countered, saying it’s disingenuous to say it would increase voter turnout, but is really voter disenfranchisement and would lead to Huntington Beach being sued.
“We’re not improving people’s vision of this safe election. We are not doing that. It’s the exact opposite; we are sowing chaos in our elections,” Moser said. “I trust the elections right now. I will not trust them under these circumstances.”
The election changes and other amendments to the city’s charter will appear on the March 2024 California Primary ballot.
The election reforms include voter ID, city monitoring of ballot drop boxes and a requirement to have at least 20 in-person voting locations. The election changes, if approved by voters, wouldn’t be implemented until 2026.
The city attorney will return at a council meeting later this month with the ballot language. Thursday’s meeting was the finale of a series focused on the proposed charter amendments.
The meeting became strained at one point when Councilmember Dan Kalmick asked Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark if she supported women’s suffrage. Van Der Mark…
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