Court Rejects Sheriff’s Authority Over Election Materials
The California Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco acted unlawfully when his office seized more than 650,000 ballots following a 2025 special election. In a decisive rebuke, the court ordered Bianco to return all confiscated election materials to the county registrar and to refrain from further handling of the ballots, as reported by CalMatters.
The ruling effectively ends a months-long legal standoff that began when the sheriff, citing unverified claims of voting irregularities, executed a search warrant to remove the ballots. Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero wrote that Bianco’s actions created a “substantial risk to election integrity” and disregarded the state’s established election code, which mandates that voted ballots remain under the exclusive custody of designated election officials.
Legal and Constitutional Stakes
Beyond the immediate return of the ballots, the court’s decision serves as a landmark clarification of the relationship between local law enforcement and the state’s executive branch. Bianco had argued that his authority as sheriff allowed him to investigate potential fraud independently, even after the state Attorney General, Rob Bonta, issued directives to halt the seizure. The court rejected this, affirming that the Attorney General holds “direct supervision” over sheriffs in matters of statewide significance.
“Whether it’s a sheriff in Riverside or the President of the United States, we won’t let anyone take away Californians’ voice in our democracy,” Attorney General Bonta stated following the ruling. The decision is seen as a significant victory for voting rights advocates, including the UCLA Voting Rights Project, which had filed suit to stop the sheriff’s interference in election procedures.
Legislative Response and Future Implications
The ruling coincides with a broader legislative crackdown on election interference in California. Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed new laws that explicitly classify the seizure of ballots, voting machines, or election records by unauthorized individuals as a felony. These statutes were introduced in direct response to the situation in Riverside County to prevent similar actions during the upcoming November midterm elections.
Despite the court order, the political fallout remains intense. Sheriff Bianco, who has previously run for governor, has maintained that his office will continue its criminal investigation into the 2025 redistricting election. However, the state Supreme Court has now established that such investigations must adhere to existing election law, effectively barring law enforcement from removing ballots from the custody of election administrators.