California Supreme Court Halts Riverside Sheriff's Election Fraud Probe

The Supreme Court of California ordered Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to pause a criminal investigation into alleged fraud during the November 2025 Proposition 50 special election. The court's order requires the sheriff to preserve approximately 650,000 ballots and 1,426 boxes of election materials seized from county officials.

Chad Bianco, a Republican candidate for governor, launched the probe after allegations surfaced of a 45,000-vote disparity in the redistricting election. While the seizure was authorized by search warrants from Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jay Kiel, the Riverside County Registrar of Voters disputed the claims, stating the actual discrepancy was only 103 ballots. Bianco defended the action as a necessary mission to investigate a machine problem and prevent the legal destruction of ballots.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the UCLA Voting Rights Project challenged the investigation, arguing that Bianco lacked the authority to seize election materials. Bonta characterized the sheriff as a rogue actor who created a constitutional emergency by willfully defying direct orders to stop. Bianco countered that the legal challenges are lawfare orchestrated by political activists to cover up the investigation. He stated that officials from other states and counties have contacted his office to discuss launching similar probes.