Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco Seizes Over 650,000 Ballots in Controversial 2025 Election Probe
- Elisa Ballard
- Mar 25
- 3 min read
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a leading Republican candidate for California governor in 2026, has seized approximately 650,000–657,000 ballots from the November 2025 statewide special election on Proposition 50, launching an investigation into alleged discrepancies in vote counts.
The action has sparked a high-profile clash with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and local election officials, who say the probe lacks credible evidence of fraud and could undermine public confidence in elections.
Background on the Election and Alleged Discrepancy
Proposition 50 asked voters to approve temporary changes to California’s congressional districts, allowing Democrats to redraw maps in response to redistricting efforts in other states. The measure passed comfortably statewide and in Riverside County by a margin of more than 80,000 votes (about 56% support locally).
The investigation stems from claims by the Riverside Election Integrity Team, a group of local citizens who conducted their own review of election data. They alleged a gap of roughly 45,000–45,800 ballots between handwritten intake logs (showing around 611,000–612,000 ballots) and the final certified vote total reported to the state (approximately 657,000).
Riverside County Registrar of Voters Art Tinoco has repeatedly disputed this figure, explaining that the handwritten logs represent preliminary, unprocessed estimates made by poll workers and do not account for signature verification, provisional ballots, conditional voter registrations, or other standard processing steps. According to Tinoco, the actual discrepancy between ballots cast and counted was only about 103 votes—a variance of roughly 0.016%, consistent with normal election tolerances across California counties.
The Seizure and Sheriff’s Investigation
In late February 2026, Bianco’s office executed search warrants and seized roughly 1,000 boxes of ballot materials from the Registrar of Voters’ office. Bianco described the effort as a “fact-finding mission” aimed at verifying accuracy rather than assuming fraud. “This investigation is simple: physically count the ballots and compare that result with the total votes reported,” he said at a March 21 press conference.
A Riverside Superior Court judge issued the warrants and later appointed a special master to oversee the hand-counting process under court supervision. Bianco has emphasized that the probe will proceed transparently and could just as easily confirm the official results as reveal issues. He has accused AG Bonta of interfering with the investigation.
State Response and Legal Battle
Attorney General Rob Bonta strongly opposed the move, sending cease-and-desist letters in early March and arguing that the sheriff lacked probable cause, had not identified a specific crime, and was overstepping into the domain of election administration. Bonta described the investigation as an “unprecedented criminal investigation” and an “amateur and dubious” recount that could set a dangerous precedent.
On March 23–24, 2026, Bonta filed an emergency petition for a writ of mandate in the California Court of Appeals (Fourth Appellate District, Division 2, case E088096), seeking an immediate stay to halt the recount and investigation. A three-judge panel denied the request on March 24, ruling on procedural grounds that Bonta should first seek relief in Riverside Superior Court rather than jumping directly to the appellate level. The denial was not a ruling on the merits of the underlying claims.
As of March 25, 2026, the investigation and court-supervised recount continue. Bonta’s office stated it is evaluating next steps, likely refiling in the superior court.
Broader Context and Reactions
The dispute has drawn national attention, particularly because Bianco is a prominent Trump-supporting Republican running for governor in a state dominated by Democrats. Critics, including Bonta, the ACLU, and some Democratic lawmakers, argue that the seizure risks voter privacy, erodes trust in elections without evidence, and may be politically motivated. Supporters view it as a legitimate exercise of local law enforcement authority to ensure election integrity.
Bianco has estimated that a hand count of the ballots could take about five days with his team. This fast-moving case highlights ongoing tensions in California over election administration, local versus state authority, and public skepticism about voting processes. Developments are expected in the coming days as the recount proceeds, and Bonta pursues further legal options.
Shasta County Context
It should be noted that similar claims of election irregularities have been raised by citizen groups here in Shasta County, only to have the Shasta County Sheriff fail to take any similar action. Sheriff Bianco should be applauded for taking action. There is no better way to restore faith in our election processes than to be willing to shine the light of truth on them.
