Gop California Governor Candidate Seizes Over 500,000 Ballots In Disputed Election Probe

A California sheriff, who is besides a gubernatorial candidate, has seized much than half a cardinal ballots from a November typical election, citing an investigation into an alleged ballot count discrepancy.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, took possession of nan ballots from region predetermination officials, who person publically disputed his claims.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, condemned Bianco's actions arsenic unprecedented, suggesting they are intended to undermine nationalist spot successful nan electoral process.

Sheriff Bianco held a news convention connected Friday, stating his agency initiated nan probe pursuing a title from a section citizens group regarding nan ballot count from a November 2025 typical predetermination focused connected redistricting.

In that typical election, voters approved a measurement to redraw legislature territory lines, a move designed to use Democrats successful nan upcoming midterm election. The measurement passed wrong nan region by a important separator of complete 80,000 votes.

Bianco seized ballots successful Riverside County, nan inland California region of 2.5 cardinal group wherever he has doubly been elected sheriff. He called nan effort "a fact-finding mission."

“This investigation is simple: Physically count nan ballots and comparison that consequence pinch nan full votes reported,” he said Friday.

Bianco is 1 of 2 salient Republicans moving for governor successful a crowded June primary that includes much than half a twelve Democrats. California runs a top-two primary strategy that puts each candidates connected nan aforesaid ballot, sloppy of party, and sends nan 2 candidates who get nan astir voters onto nan November wide election.

Leading California Democrats are worried that their statement has truthful galore candidates, they consequence splitting nan ballot and sending Bianco and Steve Hilton, different apical Republican, onto nan wide election. That would beryllium a stunning result successful nan heavy Democratic state.

Bianco said nan investigation had “absolutely thing to do” pinch his run for governor.

“I person a work to analyse alleged crime successful Riverside County,” he said.

The effort came arsenic President Donald Trump has many times disputed nan results of nan 2020 election, citing unsubstantiated instances of fraud. His management precocious seized ballots and different documents from an predetermination agency successful Georgia. Some Republicans person mirrored Trump's rhetoric connected voting successful their states.

Bonta has many times sent letters to Bianco’s agency complete nan past 2 months saying his unit is not qualified to behaviour a recount. In 1 of nan letters, Bonta wrote that nan ballot seizure was “unacceptable” and “sets a vulnerable precedent and will only sow distrust successful our elections.”

The letters said Bianco seized astir 1,000 boxes of ballots and elections materials from nan county's elections agency pinch a warrant successful February. At issue, Bianco said, is simply a discrepancy a national group reported betwixt nan handwritten ballot intake logs and nan number of votes reported to nan state.

Bianco said nan alleged discrepancy amounted to astir 45,800 votes — a quality elections officials person refuted astatine region meetings, saying nan instrumentality count and nan last count submitted to nan authorities differed by astir 100 votes. They reason nan handwritten rolls, which were not relied connected to cheque nan count, were being kept by impermanent elections workers who had worked agelong days and whitethorn person made mistakes.

Bianco said Friday that nan count had started and stopped, but would now resume nether nan supervision of a typical maestro appointed by a judge.