California Supreme Court Orders Riverside Sheriff to Return 650,000 Seized Ballots

The California Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco must return roughly 650,000 ballots to county election officials and stop handling the materials, except as needed to comply with the order.

The ballots were seized in February from a November 2025 special election on statewide congressional redistricting. The measure carried Riverside County by about 80,000 votes.

Bianco said he took the election materials as part of a criminal investigation opened after a local citizens group complained that the count was inaccurate. County election officials had already described that complaint as unfounded. At the time, Bianco, a Republican, was campaigning for governor; he did not advance past the primary.

Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, quickly challenged the seizure in court, arguing that the sheriff had no authority over election materials and warning that the move was meant to undermine public confidence in voting. Bonta ordered the ballots returned, but Bianco did not comply.

The UCLA Voting Rights Project also sued the sheriff and the Riverside County Registrar of Voters on behalf of several county voters. The state Supreme Court heard arguments in both cases last month.

Bradley Hertz, who represented Bianco before the court, said the sheriff had a legal duty to investigate once a complaint was filed and followed the penal code by first obtaining search warrants in February. He said the ballots have not been returned because they are considered evidence.

Bianco began a recount shortly after the seizure, using sheriff's personnel under a court-appointed special master, but suspended it days later, citing mounting legal challenges from the attorney general and the voting rights group. The ballots nonetheless remained in his custody.

The dispute unfolded as President Donald Trump continues to dispute the 2020 election results with unsubstantiated fraud claims, and after his administration in January seized ballots and other documents from an election office in Georgia. Election officials and civil rights groups have watched the Riverside case closely amid concerns that ballots could be seized in November.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that would bar anyone from seizing ballots as Bianco did. Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney general and a Democrat running for governor, is part of the UCLA lawsuit seeking to halt Bianco's efforts. Bianco has since announced plans to run for reelection as sheriff in 2028.