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UCLA Sues to Stop Riverside County Sheriff's Election Investigation
The lawsuit challenges Sheriff Bianco’s seizure and recount of over 600,000 ballots as violating California election laws governing vote handling and counting.
- On Thursday, March 26, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the UCLA Voting Rights Project filed separate legal petitions seeking to halt Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco's investigation into ballots from the November 2025 special election.
- Sheriff Bianco seized more than 656,000 ballots earlier this year, citing a local watchdog group's claim of a 45,000-vote discrepancy. The sheriff maintains his probe is a lawful, judge-approved investigation into alleged irregularities.
- Attorneys for the UCLA project argue Bianco lacks legal authority to remove ballots from the Registrar of Voters' office. Secretary of State Shirley Weber questioned whether the department has adequate election administration expertise.
- Dismissing the legal challenges as politically motivated, Bianco—a Republican gubernatorial candidate—characterized them as attacks from "failed Democratic candidates." Former state attorney general Xavier Becerra countered that removing ballots from trained staff undermines public trust in elections.
- A hearing on the petition is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. today, March 27, in Riverside Superior Court. The court will determine whether the sheriff's office must pause the ballot recount pending legal review.
30 Articles
30 Articles
California and a voting rights group filed legal challenges to stop GOP sheriff’s ballot seizure
California’s Democratic attorney general and a voting rights group launched legal challenges this week to halt a seizure and recount of more than half a million 2025 election ballots by a Republican county sheriff who is running for governor.
Battle over ballots continues between Bianco, Bonta
Live from Riverside (3/27/26) RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - The legal battle mounted by California Attorney General Rob Bonta against Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco stemming from the latter's independent probe into alleged voting discrepancies in the November special election was escalating today, as the state pushed for an order to halt the sheriff's investigation. "The sheriff's actions ... demand judicial intervention,'' according to a …
Los Angeles Times
union-bulletin.comRiverside Sheriff Chad Bianco seizes more ballots, defying California officials who ordered him to stop
Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff and a leading GOP candidate for governor, has escalated his fight with California Attorney General, continuing his "fact finding mission" into unsubstantiated voter fraud.
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