Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco Seizes 500,000 Ballots as He Runs for California Governor

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, has seized more than 500,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election while launching an investigation into alleged ballot count discrepancies.

“California sheriff running for governor seizes more than a half million ballots from 2025 election RIVERSIDE, Calif”

Associated Press

The sheriff, who has twice been elected in the 2.5 million-person inland county, conducted the operation after receiving a complaint from a local citizens group about redistricting election results.

Associated Press

Bianco characterized his actions as a 'fact-finding mission' aimed at physically counting ballots and comparing the results with votes reported to state authorities.

The controversial seizure comes amid heightened tensions around election integrity, with state officials describing the move as unprecedented and potentially damaging to public confidence in electoral processes.

The seized ballots are from a November 2025 special election where voters approved a redistricting measure designed to redraw congressional district lines to favor Democrats in upcoming midterm elections.

The measure passed by a significant margin of more than 80,000 votes in Riverside County, triggering Bianco's investigation.

Fine Day 102.3

The timing of the seizure has raised political concerns, as Bianco is one of two prominent Republicans running for governor in a crowded June primary that includes more than half a dozen Democrats.

California's top-two primary system places all candidates on a single ballot and advances the top two vote-getters to the November general election regardless of party affiliation.

Leading Democrats worry that their numerous candidates could split the vote and potentially allow Bianco and fellow Republican Steve Hilton to advance together, creating what they describe as a 'stunning outcome' in the heavily Democratic state.

Bianco's investigation centers on specific discrepancies between handwritten ballot intake logs and certified vote counts.

“FILE - Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco speaks at a news conference in Lake Elsinore, Calif”

Fox 59

According to the sheriff, citizen volunteers reviewing public records found that 611,428 ballots were cast, while 657,322 votes were reported and certified to the state—a difference of 45,896 votes.

However, the Riverside County Registrar of Voters disputes these claims, stating that the office did not rely on those logs and instead used machine counts showing a much smaller deviation attributed to human error.

Bianco maintains that his office wants to physically count the ballots as part of what he described as a fact-finding investigation, not a recount.

The sheriff also revealed that his office began investigating possible election fraud in October 2022, with work later leading to a Feb. 9, 2026 warrant for election materials tied to the 2025 special election.

He noted that the ballot count had started, then stopped, and will now restart under court supervision with a special master.

The seizure has drawn sharp criticism from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, who called Bianco's actions unprecedented and designed to sow distrust in elections.

Bonta's office requested that Bianco pause the investigation, with officials expressing concerns about the sheriff's methodology.

KESQ

In a redacted Feb. 26 letter provided to KESQ News Channel 3, Bonta wrote that Division of Law Enforcement Chief Stephen Woolery asked Bianco to provide affidavits supporting the warrants and to briefly defer further warrant execution until March 6 so the Attorney General's Office could review the basis for the search.

The letter also states that the sheriff's office seized about 1,000 boxes of ballots and other election materials tied to the November 2025 special election.

Bonta's office had concerns that the affidavits identified no specific felony offenses or suspects and may have omitted material facts.

In a subsequent March 4 letter, Bonta warned that Bianco planned to begin counting seized ballots using sheriff's department staff who are 'not trained and have no experience counting ballots,' which he called 'unacceptable' and something that would 'only sow distrust in our elections.'

The controversy has sparked a broader debate about election integrity and the role of law enforcement in overseeing electoral processes.

Riverside County officials have maintained their commitment to safe, secure, accurate, and lawful elections, with County Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen stating that all five members of the Board of Supervisors and the Registrar of Voters are committed to following detailed procedures established by state and federal law.

Los Angeles Times

The county has refused to comment on the sheriff's investigation or statements, citing it as an active law enforcement matter.

Bianco has vehemently denied any connection between his investigation and his gubernatorial campaign, insisting he has 'a duty to investigate alleged crime in Riverside County.'

This action occurs amid ongoing disputes by President Donald Trump regarding 2020 election outcomes, with his administration recently confiscating ballots and documents from Georgia election offices, creating a pattern of election-related investigations that some critics say undermines public confidence in democratic institutions.