In Huntington Beach, voters have endorsed two conservative ballot measures, one of which permits the city to mandate voter identification for elections, despite warnings from California’s Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta that such a requirement could violate state law and potentially lead to a lawsuit. The measure was passed with a margin of 8 percentage points.

The second measure, which effectively prohibits the display of the LGBTQ pride flag at City Hall, was approved by a 16-percentage-point margin. This measure was introduced following the council’s decision to remove the pride flag and restricts all flags except official government flags and those representing the armed forces, prisoners of war, and the Olympic Games — unless a unanimous council vote decides otherwise.

Conservative Shift in City Council

These measures were introduced by four conservatives who gained control of the City Council in the November 2022 elections and have since pursued a political agenda in line with the Republican Party politics of former President Donald Trump.

Although the results are still unofficial due to pending mail-in ballots from Tuesday’s election, the group opposing the ballot measures, Protect Huntington Beach, has conceded defeat following the latest batch of results posted on Wednesday evening.

Third Measure Defeated

A third measure, concerning the appointment of City Council vacancies and the budget process, was defeated by a 5-point margin.

Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark, who was elected alongside fellow conservatives Pat Burns, Casey McKeon, and Rod Strickland, stated, “I believe the votes validated that we are headed in the right direction.”

Read more at MSN News.