Newport Beach will not hold its Nov. 3 special election on three citizen-initiated charter amendments after the city said it could not print valid ballots.

City spokesperson Georgia Rios announced Oct. 23 that the special election for Measures P, Q and R cannot proceed, according to the Daily Pilot. The city blamed two problems: its ballot printing vendor never received the required authorization, watermark and color tint from the California Secretary of State's office, and the Orange County Registrar of Voters did not provide confidential voter data needed to mail ballots to residents with legally protected addresses.

"Despite the city's continued efforts, its election professionals have determined that … the special election cannot proceed because necessary authorizations and information were not provided by the responsible outside agencies," Rios said in a statement to the Daily Pilot.

The cancellation does not affect the consolidated general municipal election on Nov. 3. Voters will still weigh in on four City Council races and Measure H, which would reduce the number of housing units in the city's approved housing plan, according to the city's election page.

What the measures would have changed

Measure P proposed council member term limits. Measure Q would have required council seats be decided by voters within each district rather than citywide. Measure R addressed transparency in public meetings, public records, oversight and enforcement.

All three were citizen-initiated charter amendments. Voice of OC reported that signature gathering and advertising for the measures were bankrolled by local developer Ken Picerne.

How the election ended up canceled

Orange County Superior Court Judge Julianne Bancroft had ordered the city to hold the special election on Nov. 3 after the city missed the deadline to consolidate the measures with the county-run general election, the Daily Pilot reported. The city originally filed a lawsuit to block the measures from reaching voters, arguing public notices were improperly published. Bancroft rejected that argument.

After losing in court, the Newport Beach City Council scheduled the measures for November 2028. Bancroft then ordered a special election for this year instead.

The council voted 4-3 to hold a mail-in election at a projected cost of $1 million or more, according to the Daily Pilot. The city sent ballots to overseas and military voters while appealing the case to the California Supreme Court, which denied the request. An appellate court also rejected the city's request for an immediate stay. Three days later, city officials canceled the special election.

The other side

Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page told the Daily Pilot that he had consistently warned the city he would not assist with the standalone election. Page said providing election services for the special ballot "would interfere with the Registrar of Voters' ability to successfully conduct the regular statewide 2026 General Election."

Charles Klobe, president of Still Protecting Our Newport, called the outcome unacceptable. "It's appalling that the city has spent this much time stopping the citizens from their right to vote," Klobe told the Daily Pilot.

The city has not announced a replacement election date for Measures P, Q and R. Its Oct. 23 announcement said further information would be provided as it becomes available. The announcement did not identify a court order authorizing cancellation.