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California Supreme Court weighs whether Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco must return seized election ballots

The California Supreme Court is currently deliberating whether Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco must return approximately 650,000 ballots seized from a November 2025 special election. The dispute arose after Bianco seized the materials to investigate a complaint regarding a discrepancy in the vote count, despite the fact that the discrepancy did not change the final outcome. While local election officials maintained the count was accurate, Bianco proceeded with a criminal investigation using search warrants. Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta and the UCLA Voting Rights Project have challenged the seizure, arguing that the sheriff lacked the authority to bypass established election procedures and that the ballots should remain in the custody of election officials. Conversely, Bianco maintains that his actions were legally justified under a court-ordered warrant and that the ballots serve as evidence. The court's decision will determine the extent of a county sheriff's power to conduct independent investigations into election results outside of the standard official process. This legal battle occurs as the administration recently seized ballots in Georgia to address various election fraud claims.

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