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apnews.com

A Republican California sheriff must return more than a half-million ballots he seized for an investigation into unfounded voting improprieties in a special election last year, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco in February seized approximately 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election on statewide congressional redistricting favorable to Democrats and pushed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The measure easily passed statewide, and won in Bianco’s county by roughly 80,000 votes.

The court called the ballots’ seizure “unlawful,” saying California law requires voted ballots to remain in the custody and control of election officials, even during a criminal investigation. Bianco must also “refrain from further handling of the ballots except as necessary to comply with our order,” the court said in an unanimous decision. Bianco did not immediately comment on the ruling.

  • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
    97·
    1 month ago

    So… was that the test run to see how long the ballots could be witheld before they actually get released?

    Because that was half a million ballots last year, and he’s still got them.

    • LilB0kChoy@reddthat.com
      17·
      1 month ago

      I doubt it

      Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco in February seized approximately 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election

      It isn’t good or okay but seizing ballots after they’ve been counted, tallied and several months have gone by wouldn’t do much against the initiative would it?

      • empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        23·
        1 month ago

        No, but they could be disappeared so that when the vote tally is changed after the fact, it can’t be verified or recounted.

        • LilB0kChoy@reddthat.com
          12·
          1 month ago

          Sure, but a couple of months after? And if that was th le case it backfired because now there’s case law precedent that shows:

          The Court has now made clear that this kind of defiance cannot stand, that the Attorney General has the authority to intervene when sheriffs take improper action, and that voted ballots belong in the custody of elections officials

          And

          Newsom on Saturday signed a bill that would prevent anyone from seizing ballots, as Bianco did.

          Seems more like a MAGA targeted campaign stunt:

          At the time of the ballots’ seizure, Bianco was one of two prominent Republicans running for governor in a crowded June primary. He did not advance to the general election and later announced plans to run for reelection as sheriff in 2028.

          If it’s tried again in California it’ll be interesting to see if charges/penalties are applied.