Riverside County sheriff running for governor suspends election probe after seizing ballots
ABC7 Los Angeles • • nation
Key Points:
- Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican and gubernatorial candidate, has paused his investigation into alleged election fraud after seizing over 650,000 ballots from the 2025 election due to legal challenges from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the UCLA Voting Rights Project.
- The legal challenges argue that Bianco lacks authority over election materials, with both the Attorney General and voting rights group seeking court orders to return the ballots to election officials.
- Bianco claims his investigation and seizures were authorized by a Riverside County judge, but the Attorney General's office continues to pursue legal action, emphasizing enforcement over the sheriff's statements.
- The dispute originated from a complaint about the November 2025 special election ballot count, which local officials found to be baseless, yet Bianco proceeded to seize additional ballots despite orders to stop.
- This investigation parallels broader national tensions, as former President Trump and some Republicans have contested election results and engaged in similar ballot seizures amid unproven fraud claims.
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