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Riverside County Sheriff's ballot seizure reaches California Supreme Court
The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Monday regarding two legal challenges involving Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. The cases center on Bianco’s seizure of approximately 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election concerning Proposition 50, a redistricting measure.
In the case of Cervantes v. Bianco, plaintiffs including the UCLA Voting Rights Project argue that the sheriff’s seizure of 1,000 boxes of election materials violated state law and that alternative legal mechanisms for contesting results were available. In Bonta v. Bianco, California Attorney General Rob Bonta challenges whether the sheriff exceeded his authority by continuing an investigation after being ordered to stand down.
Sheriff Bianco’s legal team maintains that the seizure was a lawful investigation into alleged election discrepancies and that the ballots are being held as evidence. However, the Attorney General’s office contends the move was an unlawful attempt to undermine confidence in the electoral process. The court's decision will determine if the ballots must be returned and the extent of a sheriff's authority to intervene in election administration.
Entities
California Supreme Court · Chad Bianco · Riverside County · Rob Bonta · UCLA Voting Rights Project
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 8 SOURCES] The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases regarding the seizure of Proposition 50 ballots. www.singtaousa.com · www.nbcpalmsprings.com · www.latimes.com · calmatters.org · www.ktvu.com · +2 more
- [● 5 SOURCES] The seized ballots consist of 1,000 boxes containing approximately 650,000 votes. www.singtaousa.com · www.nbcpalmsprings.com · calmatters.org · www.newsday.com · wtop.com
- [● 8 SOURCES] Attorney General Rob Bonta challenged the legality of the seizure, arguing the sheriff exceeded his authority. www.singtaousa.com · www.nbcpalmsprings.com · www.latimes.com · calmatters.org · www.ktvu.com · +2 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] Sheriff Chad Bianco seized approximately 650,000 ballots to investigate alleged election discrepancies. www.singtaousa.com · www.nbcpalmsprings.com · www.latimes.com · calmatters.org · www.ktvu.com · +2 more
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Election officials stated that claims of vote count discrepancies were based on a misinterpretation of data. calmatters.org