RIVERSIDE COUNTY — The California Supreme Court ruled that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco violated state election law by ordering deputies to seize more than 650,000 ballots from a special election. The court ordered him to cease his investigation into election fraud claims and return the ballots to county officials. Bianco said: "There's not one state constitution that allows for an individual to stop a lawful investigation into a crime. This is about whether or not a corrupt attorney general can stop a lawful investigation."

Bianco seized approximately 650,000 ballots in February from a November 2025 special election on statewide congressional redistricting. He claimed his agency was investigating a complaint from a local group alleging a discrepancy in which about 45,800 more votes were reported to the Secretary of State. County elections officials stated that the machine count and the final count submitted to the state differed by about 100 votes.

Bianco described the probe as a "fact-finding mission." Bradley Hertz, who represented Bianco before the court, argued the sheriff had a legal duty to open a criminal investigation after receiving a complaint. The court ruled that Bianco ignored directives from Attorney General Rob Bonta to pause his investigation.

Bonta launched a legal challenge arguing the sheriff had no authority over election materials. The UCLA Voting Rights Project sued Bianco and the Riverside County Registrar of Voters on behalf of several Riverside County voters. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra is part of the UCLA Voting Rights Project lawsuit.

Local leaders in Riverside petitioned the court to have the ballots returned to the Registrar's Office. Bianco said in late March that he would pause his investigation "because of the politically motivated lawsuits and court filings." The state Supreme Court issued a formal order to halt the probe in April.

Another new law expands existing state election laws and makes it illegal to take election materials or voting machines from elections officials. Newsom wrote in response to the rulings: "Today's ruling affirms that in California we will defend democracy — using every branch of government. And the new laws I signed just last week add new protections so attacks like this cannot happen again. People deserve to know their ballot is counted and secure, and in California we will do everything we can to protect that constitutional right — this year, and beyond."

Bonta wrote in a statement: I'm grateful that our State Supreme Court reaffirmed my authority as Attorney General to supervise county sheriffs. I take my responsibility to exercise that authority in the public interest seriously. This was an extraordinary situation that required extraordinary action." The Riverside County Registrar of Voters said it "will continue to comply with all lawful court orders and with all legal obligations applicable to election materials and election administration." Bianco lost his bid for California governor in the primaries."

Why It Matters

The unanimous ruling establishes that elected sheriffs do not have independent authority to seize election materials during ongoing certification processes. The decision reinforces the statutory custody chain that keeps voted ballots under the control of elections officials until results are finalized. The new laws signed by the governor create felony penalties for future attempts to remove ballots or voting machines from official custody.

The case involved a special election measure that shifted five of California's Republican U.S. House seats to be more favorable to Democrats. The redistricting measure won in Riverside County by roughly 80,000 votes. The scale of the seizure, involving more than half a million ballots, drew multiple legal challenges from both state officials and voting rights groups.

Timeline

In October 2025, Bianco alleged in a podcast interview: "We absolutely know there was fraud," claiming that "mail-in ballots are purposely designed for fraud." The special election measure shifted five of California's Republican U.S. House seats to be more favorable to Democrats in November 2025. The redistricting measure won in Riverside County by roughly 80,000 votes in November 2025. Bianco seized approximately 650,000 ballots in February 2026 from the November 2025 special election on statewide congressional redistricting. Bianco said in late March 2026 that he would pause his investigation "because of the politically motivated lawsuits and court filings." The state Supreme Court issued a formal order to halt the probe in April 2026.

What's New

Additional reporting confirms that Bradley Hertz said Bianco has not returned the ballots to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters because those ballots are "evidence." Chief Justice Guerrero wrote that allowing law enforcement unfettered access to ballots creates a substantial risk to election integrity. The California Supreme Court is the highest court of the U.S. state of California.

One new law makes it a felony to seize or order the seizure of ballots, election records, or voting machines before election results are certified.

How Sources Differ

Regarding the supreme court, Attorney General Rob Bonta wrote in a statement: "I'm grateful that our State Supreme Court reaffirmed my authority as Attorney General to supervise county sheriffs. I take my responsibility to exercise that authority in the public interest." The California Supreme Court ruling states that the court ruled that Riverside County Sheriff Bianco violated state election law by ordering deputies to seize more than 650,000 ballots from a special election.

The Riverside County Registrar of Voters statement says that the Riverside County Registrar of Voters said it "will continue to comply with all lawful court orders and with all legal obligations applicable to election materials and election administration." Regarding the California Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court ruling states that the court ruled that Riverside County Sheriff Bianco violated state election law by ordering deputies to seize more than 650,000 ballots from a special election.