California Supreme Court orders Riverside County sheriff to return 650,000 seized ballots

What This is

• The California Supreme Court unanimously found Sheriff Chad Bianco unlawfully seized about 650,000 ballots tied to a November 2025 special election and ordered him to return them to Riverside County election officials.
• The court said state law requires voted ballots to stay in the custody of election officials, even during a criminal investigation, because uncontrolled law-enforcement access can threaten election integrity.
• The ruling also affirmed that California’s attorney general can issue binding orders to county sheriffs in matters like this, backing Attorney General Rob Bonta’s directions to stop the probe and return ballots.
• Bianco said he was investigating an alleged vote discrepancy and treated the ballots as evidence, but county elections officials said the discrepancy was about 100 votes.
• The decision followed lawsuits brought by the state attorney general and the UCLA Voting Rights Project challenging the seizure and the sheriff’s investigation.
• After the seizure and related controversies, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed election-security laws that, among other changes, make it a felony to seize ballots or election records and require faster reporting of warrants tied to election systems.

Why This Matters

• It sets a clear line between election officials’ control of ballots and police powers, which can shape how fraud claims are handled in future elections.
• It strengthens statewide oversight of elected sheriffs, limiting “local override” theories that can weaken consistent election rules.
• It affects voter trust by signaling that ballots cannot be taken or handled outside normal safeguards, even during investigations.
• It feeds into California’s broader push to tighten election protections ahead of upcoming midterms, including new criminal penalties for ballot seizures.