Riverside County residents will see the ballots seized by Sheriff Chad Bianco this winter returned to the county registrar, after the California Supreme Court issued a unanimous order on Thursday. The court said Bianco must “refrain from further handling of the ballots except as necessary to comply with our order,” effectively ending the sheriff’s controversial investigation.
Background of the seizure
In February 2025, Sheriff Bianco, then a Republican candidate for governor, took possession of roughly 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election on statewide congressional redistricting. The measure passed the county by about 80,000 votes. Bianco said he acted after receiving a complaint from a local citizens group alleging the count was inaccurate, and he launched a criminal investigation, obtaining search warrants to secure the ballots as evidence.
County election officials, however, had already dismissed the complaint as unfounded. The sheriff’s actions prompted a swift legal challenge from Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta, who argued the sheriff had no authority over election materials and warned that the seizure could sow distrust in the electoral process.
Legal challenges and court ruling
Both the state attorney general and the University of California, Los Angeles Voting Rights Project sued Bianco and the Riverside County Registrar of Voters on behalf of local voters. After hearing arguments in the state Supreme Court, the justices ordered the immediate return of the ballots and barred any further handling except as required by the order.
Bianco’s attorney, Bradley Hertz, maintained that the sheriff was fulfilling a legal duty to investigate a potential crime, citing the penal code and the issuance of search warrants. He characterized the ballots as “evidence” that could not simply be handed back without proper procedure.
Broader context and Trump administration parallels
The case has drawn national attention because President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the 2020 election results and, in January 2026, his administration seized ballots and related documents from an election office in Georgia as part of a fraud investigation. Some Republicans have echoed Trump’s concerns about election integrity, arguing that vigorous oversight is essential to protect the sanctity of the vote.
While the California Supreme Court’s decision reasserts the principle that election officials, not law‑enforcement officers, control ballots, it also underscores the ongoing national debate over election security. Governor Gavin Newsom responded by signing legislation that explicitly prohibits anyone from seizing ballots, a move aimed at preventing future incidents like Bianco’s.
Implications for Riverside County
With the court order in place, the seized ballots will be returned to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters, allowing the official count to be finalized and certified. The decision also sends a clear message to local officials about the limits of law‑enforcement authority in election matters.
Bianco, who did not advance to the general gubernatorial race, has announced plans to run for re‑election as sheriff in 2028. Voters will now have the opportunity to evaluate his record on both public safety and his approach to election oversight.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
