California sheriff ordered to return ballots he confiscated in voter ‘fraud’ inquiry

Key Points:

• The California Supreme Court ruled that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco must return over 650,000 ballots he seized during an investigation into alleged voting improprieties in a 2025 special election, deeming the seizure unlawful under state law.
• The court emphasized that voted ballots must remain under the custody and control of election officials, even during criminal investigations, and ordered Bianco to cease handling the ballots except as necessary to comply with the ruling.
• Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the seizure, highlighting it as an attack on democracy, and recently signed legislation to prevent future ballot seizures similar to Bianco’s actions.
• Bianco’s investigation was prompted by an unfounded complaint from a local group and occurred amid heightened Republican challenges to election results inspired by former President Donald Trump’s claims of fraud.
• Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta and the UCLA Voting Rights Project promptly challenged Bianco’s actions in court, arguing the seizure was unauthorized and intended to undermine public trust in elections.