<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The California Supreme Court ordered Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to return over 650,000 ballots he seized in February to county election officials on Thursday. This decision impacts his investigation into alleged election fraud in a November 2025 election.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Bianco, a Republican and former 2026 gubernatorial candidate, seized the ballots after a local election integrity group raised concerns about a possible 45,000-vote discrepancy in the county’s vote count on California’s Proposition 50 ballots. Riverside County voters approved the redistricting ballot initiative by approximately 80,000 votes, which exceeds the alleged discrepancy.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Voters in Riverside County filed a lawsuit against Bianco, claiming the seizure of the ballots was illegal. Bianco contended that he acted lawfully, having obtained two search warrants from Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jay Kiel. However, the state supreme court ruled against him, stating he violated the state elections code.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The justices unanimously determined that Bianco must return the ballots to county elections officials, referencing state law that states, as Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero quoted, “‘In no event’ shall voted ballots ‘be taken from the custody of the elections official.'”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Guerrero noted, “This clear custodial command safeguards the integrity of our elections by protecting ballots from alteration, tampering, or other improper interference.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Bianco argued that his actions were lawful due to the warrants and that he was conducting a criminal investigation into potential election fraud. However, the state Supreme Court rejected this argument.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Guerrero stated, “If election misconduct is suspected, the Elections Code provides several mechanisms for law enforcement to review and examine ballots without compromising their integrity. But those procedures were not followed, and the type of seizure that occurred here directly conflicts with the Elections Code’s carefully considered and controlling provisions.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The court's ruling focused solely on the legality of Bianco’s ballot seizure and did not address whether voter fraud occurred in the election. The court mandated that Bianco return the ballots to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters immediately.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The state Supreme Court had previously ordered Bianco to temporarily pause his investigation into the alleged election fraud while the court deliberated on the legality of the ballot seizure. California Attorney General Rob Bonta had initiated the lawsuit to halt the investigation.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Washington Examiner has reached out to Bianco for comment.</p>