California Sheriff Seizes Ballots in Election Probe

The ballot count had begun, been paused, and will now continue under court supervision, according to Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
California Sheriff Seizes Ballots in Election Probe
Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 15, 2024. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
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Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who’s running to be the next California governor, has seized more than half a million ballots from a November 2025 special election on redistricting, triggering a political and legal confrontation with state officials.

Bianco obtained the ballots with a court-approved warrant in February as part of what he described as an investigation into an alleged discrepancy between ballot logs and official vote totals.

Evgenia Filimianova
Evgenia Filimianova
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Evgenia Filimianova is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of international stories, with a particular interest in foreign policy, economy, and UK politics.