Deep-Red CA Community Outraged After Court Rules Its Elections Aren't Fair to Minorities, Unilaterally Changes Elections
Residents in a Republican stronghold in deep-blue California are furious at a judge’s order that they adopt a ranked-choice voting system because the current system allegedly disenfranchises minorities.
Now, after the judge’s June ruling tentatively imposed the system upon the Orange County community of Huntington Beach, angry residents of the city of roughly 200,000 people are speaking out about what some of them say is an attempt by Democrats to “push us into this one-party state” and destroy the Republican supermajority that residents have elected to the city council.
According to the Voice of OC, the ruling from Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig Griffin “comes after a yearslong legal battle where Surf City leaders opposed changing their current at-large voting system, which sees all voters select city council members in staggered terms for office with one vote, usually in general elections in the fall.”
The suit was initially pushed by Victor Valladeres, a resident, who began a push to change to ranked-choice voting, a system generally favored by Democrats, nearly a decade ago.
“I got a lot of pushback from the majority council in the past. When certain candidates were elected in 2017, I brought up the idea of electoral voting districts and they were not in favor,” Valladeres told the outlet.
“I’m optimistic that things will be better with the victory that we had in court to get candidates that have the best interest of the community and not big donors.”
His lawyer concurred — although his reasons appeared political in nature.
“I think ranked-choice voting with all seven seats up at the same time will also give sane residents of Huntington Beach the ability to bring some sanity to a city council that has otherwise demonstrated its insanity over the past several years,” Kevin Shenkman, a Malibu-based Democratic activist, said.
The judge’s ruling cited the California Voting Rights Act, which states that “[a]n at-large method of election may not be imposed or applied in a manner that impairs the ability of a protected class of candidates to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the plaintiffs convinced the judge that the Oak View section of the city, which is primarily Latino, was not properly represented.
After the June 25 ruling, Huntington Beach City Atty. Mike Vigliotta told the Times in an email that the city is looking into how to proceed with outside counsel.
“I’m not a fan,” 56-year-old resident Cindy Guinasso, a married mother of two, told the New York Post.
“I haven’t seen it be extremely successful in other states. I’ve heard that more states are trying to get rid of it because it has not been beneficial,” she said, adding that a judge’s unilateral decision means they would “not have a fair voice” and Huntington Beach would “lose its individuality.”
“There are people trying to move us to be more like the rest of California,” she added.
“We’re trying to spend money more wisely. We’re trying to be more fair and not be a one-party state. They’re trying to push us into this one-party state and the rank-choice voting helps them do that. We’re a local community that needs to be run by locals — not big government.”
State Sen. Tony Strickland knows Huntington Beach well. The Republican used to be its mayor. He calls the “extremely liberal” ruling “crazy.”
“The folks just don’t want democracy,” he told the Post. “Only one city in Orange County uses this kind of election process, and the state — we don’t have a viable voting system to adhere to.”
Another former Huntington Beach mayor — and current council member — agreed.
“We don’t have a problem — they’re creating a problem,” Gracy Larrea-Van Der Mark said of California’s Democratic machine.
“Our charter already provides for a fair and equitable system, and I don’t believe any other system would provide any better representation for our residents.”
Huntington Beach officials declined to respond to the Post’s Sunday report. The city has two weeks to officially respond to the court’s verdict, which gives them until Thursday for a legal response.
If the city chooses not to appeal, it’s unclear whether it will be able to implement a ranked-choice system in time for the November elections. Other communities that have implemented similar changes or had those changes imposed upon them have delayed rolling them out because of logistics concerns and issues surrounding certification of the new systems.
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