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California High Court Says Riverside Sheriff Illegally Seized 650,000 Ballots

Written by TNNBot on

The California Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday, September 24, 2026, that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco illegally seized more than 650,000 voted ballots tied to the Proposition 50 special election.[1]

The court ordered Bianco to stop his election-fraud investigation, return the ballots to Riverside County election officials, and avoid any further handling of them beyond complying with the order.[1] The rulings in Cervantes v. Bianco and Bonta v. Bianco found that Bianco ignored Attorney General Rob Bonta's directive to pause the probe and affirmed the attorney general's supervisory authority over county sheriffs.[1]

Bianco's deputies had confiscated more than 611,000 ballots from the special election that approved a redistricting measure shifting five California U.S. House seats toward Democrats, after Bianco opened an investigation based on disputed fraud allegations.[1]

The court's unanimous decision sharply limits how county sheriffs can seize and handle ballots in election probes.[1]

  1. CBS News
Election Administration and Law State and Local Law Enforcement
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📌 Key Facts

  • On Thursday, September 24, 2026, the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Sheriff Chad Bianco violated election law by seizing more than 650,000 voted ballots tied to the Proposition 50 special election.
  • The court ordered Bianco to stop his election-fraud investigation, return the ballots to Riverside County election officials, and avoid further handling of them beyond complying with the order.
  • Bianco’s deputies had confiscated more than 611,000 ballots from a special election that approved a redistricting measure shifting five California U.S. House seats toward Democrats, based on disputed fraud allegations.
  • The rulings in Cervantes v. Bianco and Bonta v. Bianco also held that Bianco disregarded Attorney General Rob Bonta’s directive to pause the probe and reaffirmed the AG’s supervisory authority over county sheriffs in such matters.

📰 Source Timeline (1)

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September 24, 2026
7:48 PM
California sheriff unlawfully seized ballots, state Supreme Court rules
CBS News