GOP California governor candidate seizes over 500,000 ballots in disputed election probe
The Independent • • general
Key Points:
- Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican and gubernatorial candidate, seized over half a million ballots from a November 2025 special election amid an investigation into an alleged ballot count discrepancy.
- The special election approved a redistricting measure favoring Democrats by more than 80,000 votes, but county election officials dispute Bianco's claims, stating the vote count discrepancy is minimal.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta condemned Bianco's actions as unprecedented and warned they undermine public trust in elections, emphasizing that Bianco's office lacks the qualifications to conduct a recount.
- Bianco insists the investigation is a routine fact-finding mission unrelated to his gubernatorial campaign and is proceeding under judicial supervision after a judge appointed a special
