California sheriff seizes 650,000 ballots in disputed election

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco's investigation draws parallels to FBI raids in Georgia and Arizona

Mar. 22, 2026 at 11:34pm

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Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican candidate for California governor, has seized more than 650,000 ballots from the county registrar of voters as part of an investigation into a disputed November 2022 special election. Bianco claims there were over 45,000 excess votes, but election officials have repeatedly denied the group's math. The seizure has drawn comparisons to FBI raids in Georgia and Arizona over Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud, raising concerns about potential interference in ongoing elections.

Why it matters

The seizure of ballots by a sheriff who is also a candidate for governor raises serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and the potential for political interference. It mirrors actions taken by the Trump administration that were widely criticized by election security experts as undermining public confidence in the democratic system.

The details

Sheriff Bianco obtained a search warrant to seize approximately 1,000 boxes of ballots from the Riverside County registrar of voters. He plans to hand-count every ballot as part of an investigation into claims by a conservative group called the Riverside Election Integrity Team that the November 2022 special election was marred by over 45,000 excess votes. However, local election officials have repeatedly denied the group's math, saying their 'audit' is misleading. Bianco's actions have been criticized by California's Secretary of State and Attorney General as being 'outside of the law' and lacking a clear legal basis.

  • On February 7, 2023, Sheriff Bianco held a news conference to announce the ballot seizure.
  • In January 2023, the FBI seized ballot boxes in Fulton County, Georgia, based on claims by local election deniers.

The players

Chad Bianco

The Republican sheriff of Riverside County, California, who is also a candidate for governor.

Shirley N. Weber

The California Secretary of State, who called Bianco's investigation 'outside of the law'.

Rob Bonta

The California Attorney General, who questioned the accuracy and completeness of the affidavits used to obtain the search warrant for the ballot seizure.

Riverside Election Integrity Team

A conservative group that claimed there were over 45,000 excess votes in the November 2022 special election in Riverside County.

Richard L. Hasen

A UCLA law professor and election law expert who warned that such ballot seizures could amount to tampering with the democratic process.

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What they’re saying

“The investigation will continue despite AG Bonta's attempts to stop it.”

— Chad Bianco, Riverside County Sheriff

“Once the chain of custody of ballots is broken, we cannot have confidence in the outcome of the election. Ballots could be added, removed, or changed.”

— Richard L. Hasen, UCLA Law Professor and Election Law Expert

What’s next

The judge overseeing the case will decide whether to allow Sheriff Bianco to continue the hand-count of the seized ballots.

The takeaway

This case highlights the growing concerns about the potential for political interference in elections, even at the local level. It underscores the importance of maintaining strict protocols and chain of custody for ballots to ensure the integrity of the democratic process.