Summary
The California Supreme Court ruled that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco broke election laws by seizing over 650,000 ballots related to a local redistricting vote. The court ordered Bianco to stop investigating election fraud and return the ballots to election officials.Key Facts
- Sheriff Chad Bianco ordered deputies to seize more than 650,000 ballots from a special election in Riverside County.
- The seizure related to Proposition 50, which changed voting districts in the area.
- The California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Bianco violated state election law by taking the ballots and ignoring the Attorney General's order to stop.
- Bianco claimed he was investigating claims of vote discrepancies totaling about 45,800 votes.
- County election officials said the final vote count was accurate with only a small difference of about 100 votes.
- The Attorney General, Rob Bonta, directed Bianco to halt the investigation, which Bianco initially ignored.
- Bianco has also supported claims of election fraud similar to those made by President Trump about the 2020 election.
- The court ordered Bianco to return the ballots and refrain from handling them except as legally required.
