Politics
California Supreme Court orders Riverside County sheriff to return seized election ballots
Justices ruled Sheriff Chad Bianco acted unlawfully when his office confiscated hundreds of thousands of special election ballots.
The short version
- The California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco violated election laws by seizing hundreds of thousands of ballots from a November 2025 special election.[The Guardian · CBS News · The Washington Sun]
- The court ordered Bianco to stop his voter fraud investigation and immediately return all confiscated election materials to local officials.[The Guardian · CBS News · The Washington Sun]
- The decision establishes that search warrants cannot bypass state election codes requiring election officials to maintain custody of ballots.[The Washington Sun]
- In response to the case, Governor Gavin Newsom signed new legislation explicitly banning similar law enforcement seizures of election materials in the future.[The Guardian · CBS News · The Washington Sun]
Key facts
- The California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco's ballot seizure was unlawful.[The Guardian · CBS News · The Washington Sun]
- Sheriff Bianco launched his investigation following a local group's claim of vote discrepancies, which local election officials considered unfounded.[The Guardian · The Washington Sun]
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the UCLA Voting Rights Project filed legal challenges against the sheriff's ballot seizure.[CBS News · The Washington Sun]
- Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation aimed at preventing law enforcement from seizing ballots in the future.[The Guardian · CBS News · The Washington Sun]
What remains uncertain
- Reports vary on the exact number of ballots confiscated by the sheriff's office, ranging from over 611,000 to approximately 650,000.[The Guardian · CBS News · The Washington Sun]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.
- California sheriff ordered to return ballots he confiscated in voter ‘fraud’ inquiryThe Guardian - US
- California Supreme Court Orders Riverside County Sheriff to Return 650,000 Seized BallotsThe Washington Sun · Wire: associated-press
- California sheriff unlawfully seized ballots, state Supreme Court rulesCBS News - Top Stories