GOP sheriff seizes 650,000 ballots in challenge to California redistricting vote
Democracy Docket • • nation
Key Points:
- Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, seized over 650,000 ballots from California's 2025 Proposition 50 redistricting referendum, citing alleged discrepancies of 45,000 votes.
- County registrar Art Tinoco refuted the claim, stating the actual discrepancy was only 103 votes, attributing the larger figure to misinterpretation of raw data.
- Bianco's warrant to seize ballots was approved by a judge, and a court-appointed special master will oversee the hand count, despite objections from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who questioned the investigation's legal basis and the sheriff's team's qualifications.
- The investigation appears linked to conspiracy theories promoted by election deniers, including former President Trump, who labeled the Proposition 50 vote a "GIANT SCAM."
- Bianco's office is also probing the 2022 county election for isolated ballot fraud and has not ruled out federal involvement in the ongoing investigations.
