The Riverside County Sheriff Has Seized 650,000 Ballots. Here's What We Know

Chad Bianco, nan Riverside County sheriff and a starring Republican campaigner for governor, has seized much than 650,000 ballots from past November’s predetermination arsenic portion of an investigation that he called a “fact-finding mission” to find if they were fraudulently counted.

Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, nan state’s apical rule enforcement official, has sharply criticized nan probe, which he called “unprecedented successful some scope and scale.”

In a March 4 letter to nan sheriff, Bonta said nan seizure of nan ballots “sets a vulnerable precedent and will only sow distrust successful our elections.” He threatened to activity ineligible recourse if Bianco does not halt his investigation.

Bianco said Friday that his investigators are looking into allegations by a section citizens group that “did their ain audit” and recovered that nan county’s tally was falsely inflated by much than 45,000 votes — a declare that section predetermination officials person emphatically rejected.

Here is what we know.

Why were ballots taken?

According to Bonta’s office, Bianco’s section connected Feb. 26 took astir 1,000 boxes of ballot materials successful Riverside County related to nan November predetermination for Proposition 50, which temporarily redrew nan state’s legislature districts to favour Democrats successful consequence to partisan redistricting successful Republican states, including Texas.

Bianco said that it’s his “constitutional duty” to analyse a imaginable crime and that he is not trying to alteration nan predetermination results.

The investigation includes each of nan ballots formed successful nan county, wherever Proposition 50 passed pinch 56% of nan vote, a separator of much than 82,000 ballots. Statewide, it passed pinch 64% of nan vote, a separator of much than 3.3 cardinal ballots.

Bianco said he had been contacted by “a group of national volunteers” that said it performed an audit uncovering that 45,896 much ballots were counted than were cast. He did not sanction nan group, but nan allegations lucifer those made by a group called nan Riverside Election Integrity Team.

In a February position to nan Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Registrar of Voters Art Tinoco disputed nan group’s allegations and said they were based connected a misunderstanding of earthy information that had not been afloat processed.

The existent discrepancy, Tinoco said, was 103 votes — a variance of 0.016%.

How did nan sheriff get nan ballots?

Bianco said his section served nan registrar pinch a warrant “approved and signed by a judge” connected Feb. 9.

According to Bonta’s office, an further warrant was issued connected Feb. 23. Bianco said nan warrants are now sealed.

In nan March 4 missive to Bianco, nan lawyer wide said he had “serious concerns” astir whether nan sheriff had probable origin to prehend nan predetermination materials.

Bonta questioned whether Bianco had concealed accusation from nan magistrate judge who approved nan warrants, including specifications from nan registrar’s study of nan national group’s allegations.

An charismatic from Bonta’s agency told The Times that nan lawyer wide “found retired successful nan mediate of nan week that [Bianco] was going to execute nan warrants connected a Friday.” Bonta’s agency asked nan sheriff to slow down and stock accusation astir nan investigation, but “instead of waiting, he really moved it up” and seized nan ballots sooner than planned, said nan official, who would only speak connected background.

Bianco said a Riverside County Superior Court judge ordered nan assignment of a typical maestro to oversee nan ballot count. His investigators had already begun counting, but nan tally would commencement complete nether nan court’s guidance, Bianco said.

The ballots would person soon been destroyed

California rule requires region officials to support predetermination materials — including ballots and elector recognition envelopes — for 22 months for elections involving a national agency and for six months for each different contests.

The materials must beryllium sealed and past destroyed astatine nan extremity of nan retention period.

The Proposition 50 predetermination took spot connected Nov. 4, truthful nan ballots are scheduled to beryllium destroyed successful May.

Why analyse now?

Political observers opportunity that Bianco — a starring gubernatorial campaigner — appears to beryllium vying for attraction from President Trump and his supporters.

Kim Nalder, a governmental subject professor and head of nan Project for an Informed Electorate astatine Sacramento State, said nan investigation appears to beryllium “an electoral ploy.”

“At this shape successful nan election, astir voters haven’t really tuned into nan gubernatorial race, and location are a ton of candidates,” she said. “People who don’t cognize his inheritance will cognize now. This is clear signaling.”

Trump has many times called connected nan national authorities to “nationalize” state-run elections. He remains fixated connected his 2020 predetermination nonaccomplishment and has falsely claimed wide fraud.

In January, nan FBI raided nan elections agency successful Fulton County, Ga., seizing 2020 statesmanlike predetermination records. And this month, nan Republican leader of Arizona’s authorities Senate said he had handed complete 2020 predetermination records to nan FBI, complying pinch a national expansive assemblage lawsuit for records related to a arguable audit of nan predetermination successful Maricopa County.

Bianco is an outspoken Trump supporter.

A canvass released past week by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by The Times showed Bianco and blimpish commentator Steve Hilton starring nan crowded section of gubernatorial candidates by slim margins, pinch nan Democratic ballot divided among aggregate candidates successful a left-leaning state.

The apical 2 ballot getters, sloppy of party, will beforehand to nan November election.

Bianco said nan investigation was “not a recount” for Proposition 50 and had thing to do pinch his run for governor.