Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is asking the California Supreme Court to uphold his decision to seize approximately 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election on redistricting, as the state's high court deliberates whether he must return them.
The case stems from an October 2025 order by Bianco, who said his office seized the ballots amid what he described as concerns about election integrity. The California attorney general's office and voting rights advocates have challenged the seizure in court.
What the Right Is Saying
Sheriff Bianco has defended his actions as necessary to preserve evidence amid ongoing investigations into alleged irregularities in the redistricting vote. His office argues that California election officials failed to follow proper verification procedures before certifying results from several precincts.
Conservative legal groups supporting Bianco say county sheriffs have inherent authority to secure materials when they believe criminal activity may have occurred. The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association issued a statement praising Bianco for quote "standing up for election integrity" when other officials would not.
Some Republican legislators have called for a full audit of the November 2025 redistricting special election before any seized ballots are returned, arguing that tabulating potentially compromised votes could permanently alter district boundaries based on fraudulent results.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic lawmakers and voting rights organizations argue that seizing ballots undermines democratic participation and sets a dangerous precedent for future elections. Assemblymember Chris Holden said the move represents an overreach of law enforcement authority into the electoral process.
The ACLU of Northern California has filed briefs arguing that voters who cast ballots in the November 2025 election have a constitutional right to have those votes counted, not held indefinitely by a county sheriff. The organization contends that Bianco's actions violate both state election law and due process protections under the California Constitution.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a Democrat, has called for the immediate return of all seized ballots so they can be properly tabulated and certified according to state law.
What the Numbers Show
Approximately 650,000 ballots were cast in Riverside County during the November 2025 special redistricting election. The seizure affects every voter who participated in that contest, representing roughly 40 percent of all votes cast countywide for redistricting-related measures.
California law requires counties to certify election results within 30 days of a vote. As of late August 2026, Riverside County has not certified results from the November 2025 special election, creating uncertainty over whether new district maps can take effect for future elections.
The California Supreme Court's decision will determine whether those ballots are counted, discarded, or subject to further investigation before any certification occurs.
The Bottom Line
The California Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling within weeks on whether Sheriff Bianco must return the seized ballots. A decision in his favor would likely delay final certification of redistricting maps and could trigger similar actions by sheriffs in other counties. A ruling against him would require immediate tabulation of all 650,000 votes, clearing the path for new district boundaries to take effect ahead of future elections.