Exclusive | California MAGA stronghold erupts after shock ruling on conservative paradise: Theyre coming after us
Huntington Beach has erupted after a judge ordered the city to adopt ranked-choice voting for council members — amid fears it could destroy the Republican supermajority.Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig Griffin ruled late June that the MAGA enclave needs to move away from its at-large system after a years-long court battle.A wave of Southern California municipalities have been forced to change the way they vote in recent years as courts found at-large is unfavorable to minority voters under the California Voting Rights.The push is being led by Malibu’s activist Democratic lawyer Kevin Shenkman, who has spent decades suing and threatening cities across the region to stop at-large voting.It comes as Huntington Beach led the West Coast for its show of patriotism on Fourth of July, with an insane fireworks extravaganza that drew about 500,000 to its famous shores.But the patriotic paradise could be under threat as locals claimed to the California Post the voting change is a desperate Democrat attempt to turn the town blue.Cindy Guinasso, a 56-year-old married mother-of-two who has lived in Huntington Beach for decades, said: “I’m not a fan.“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 argued the voting system means residents will “not have a fair voice” and warned the city would “lose its individuality.”She also criticized Griffin’s decision, saying Huntington Beach residents — not a judge — should decide how the city elects its leaders.She added: “There are people trying to move us to be more like the rest of California.”The shift to ranked-choice would mean voters list candidates in order of preference, with the lowest numbers knocked out each round until one person remains.In at-large elections voters vote as a collective, with the entire city choosing from the same pool of candidates with the vote not being split on p...