California Court Denies Appeal to Stop Riverside County Sheriff's Election Fraud Probe

Sheriff Chad Bianco seized over 611,000 ballots from a November special election, claiming a potential discrepancy in the vote count.

Mar. 25, 2026 at 4:41am

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A California court denied the state attorney general's appeal to halt the Riverside County Sheriff's investigation into alleged election fraud. Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is running for governor, seized more than 611,000 ballots from a November special election, claiming a possible discrepancy in the vote count. The state attorney general and Secretary of State have disputed Bianco's claims, stating he lacks the expertise to conduct such an investigation and that it risks undermining public confidence in elections.

Why it matters

This case highlights the ongoing tensions between law enforcement officials and election authorities over the integrity of elections, with the sheriff's actions raising concerns about potential overreach and the politicization of the electoral process. It also comes amid a broader debate in California over ballot security and the role of local officials in overseeing elections.

The details

Sheriff Bianco seized the ballots from the November special election on Prop 50, which approved a redistricting measure that shifted five Republican-held U.S. House seats in California to be more favorable to Democrats. Bianco claimed his agency was investigating a complaint from a local group alleging a possible discrepancy of about 45,800 more votes than were reported to the Secretary of State. However, county election officials disputed this, saying the difference was only around 100 votes. The state attorney general and Secretary of State have criticized Bianco's actions, stating he lacks the legal authority and expertise to conduct such an investigation.

  • On March 25, 2026, a California court denied the state attorney general's appeal to halt the Riverside County Sheriff's election fraud investigation.
  • In November 2025, voters in Riverside County approved Prop 50, a redistricting measure that shifted five Republican-held U.S. House seats to be more favorable to Democrats.

The players

Chad Bianco

The Riverside County Sheriff who is running for governor and seized more than 611,000 ballots from a November special election, claiming a potential discrepancy in the vote count.

Rob Bonta

The California Attorney General who appealed to the court to halt Bianco's election fraud investigation, arguing that Bianco lacks the legal authority and expertise to conduct such an investigation.

Shirley Weber

The California Secretary of State who disputed Bianco's claims, stating that the allegations of discrepancies "lack credible evidence and risk undermining public confidence in our elections."

Riverside County Registrar of Voters

The county election officials who disputed Bianco's claim of a 45,800 vote discrepancy, stating the actual difference was only around 100 votes.

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What they’re saying

“The facts have not changed. The Riverside County Sheriff continues to directly defy the Attorney General's instructions, in violation of the California Constitution and state law.”

— Rob Bonta, California Attorney General

“The Sheriff has not identified any particular crime that may have been committed by anyone — a necessary predicate to obtain a criminal search warrant. In his own words, this investigation is 'just as much to prove the election is accurate as it is to show otherwise.'”

— Rob Bonta, California Attorney General

“The allegations of discrepancies 'lack credible evidence and risk undermining public confidence in our elections.'”

— Shirley Weber, California Secretary of State

“I hope we can all agree there is no acceptable error, small or large, in our elections, let alone a 45,000 vote difference.”

— Chad Bianco, Riverside County Sheriff

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on whether to allow Sheriff Bianco to continue his investigation into the Riverside County election results.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing tensions between law enforcement officials and election authorities over the integrity of elections, with the sheriff's actions raising concerns about potential overreach and the politicization of the electoral process. It underscores the importance of having qualified experts conduct investigations into election processes to maintain public trust in the democratic system.