California sheriff who seized ballots ordered to halt election investigation

The California Supreme Court ordered Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to halt his investigation into alleged election fraud in a November 2025 special election. Bianco, also a Republican gubernatorial candidate, had seized over 500,000 ballots based on a complaint from a local citizens group, despite local election officials finding the complaint unfounded. The California Attorney General, Rob Bonta, requested the court's intervention, arguing Bianco lacked the authority to investigate election materials. The court's order requires Bianco to pause the investigation and preserve all seized items while the legal challenge is reviewed. Bonta stated the order was necessary to stop the sheriff's "destabilizing actions." The investigation, approved by a county judge, was previously defended by Bianco, who claimed to have paused it due to legal challenges.

The California Supreme Court has ordered Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to halt his investigation into alleged election fraud and preserve seized ballots from the 2025 special election. This order follows a request from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who argues that Bianco lacks the authority to investigate election materials. The dispute began when Bianco seized over 1,000 boxes of election materials based on a complaint from a local citizens group, despite local election officials deeming the complaint unfounded. Bianco, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, previously defended his investigation, claiming it was approved by a county judge, but stated last week he had paused the probe due to legal challenges. The Supreme Court's order aims to prevent further investigation while the legal challenge against it is reviewed.

Riverside County, California Sheriff Chad Bianco seized approximately 650,000 ballots related to a 2021 special election based on claims of voter fraud. The warrants, obtained in February and March, targeted ballots from a referendum that approved redrawing California's congressional districts. Bianco, a Republican running for governor, stated he was investigating claims of discrepancies in ballot counts made by a citizen activist group. The county's registrar of voters investigated the claims and found them to be untrue, explaining the activists' analysis was misleading and that a minimal discrepancy existed within legal limits. The seizure has raised concerns about undermining confidence in the electoral system, particularly as Bianco planned a hand recount despite the registrar's findings.