California Supreme Court rules sheriff who ran for governor must return seized ballots

The California Supreme Court ruled Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a former California gubernatorial candidate, must return approximately 650,000 ballots he seized earlier this year.

The court ruled that Bianco’s seizure was “unlawful” as California law dictates that “‘[i]n no event’ shall voted ballots be ‘taken from the custody of the elections official.'”

“If election misconduct is suspected, the Elections Code provides several mechanisms for law enforcement to review and examine ballots without compromising their integrity,” the court wrote. “But those procedures were not followed and the type of seizure that occurred here directly conflicts with the Elections Code’s carefully considered and controlling provisions.”

The court ordered Bianco to return all of ballots he seized and “refrain from further handling of the ballots except as necessary to comply with this order.”

“Election fraud can and should be investigated,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) said in a statement . “But misuse of criminal investigative tools — without any evidence that a crime was committed — needlessly undermines trust in our elections system and in law enforcement.”

In March, Bianco seized the ballots from a November special election to approve redrawing congressional districts in a way that favored Democrats. He defended his actions at the time as it was part of a criminal investigation into election fraud.

He claimed the results of the election were off by 45,800 votes, but Bonta and Art Tinoco, the registrar of voters for Riverside County Board of Supervisors, argued the difference was only about 100 votes.

Bianco paused the investigation “because of the politically motivated lawsuits and court filings,” according to Los Angeles Times .

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) stated in a press release that the ruling “affirms that in California we will defend democracy — using every branch of government.”

“People deserve to know their ballot is counted and secure, and in California we will do everything we can to protect that constitutional right — this year, and beyond,” he added.

Newsom also signed into law a legislation package aimed at safeguarding the state’s election process against potential interference — targeting actions like Bianco’s seizure.

The new congressional map will be used in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections along with the 2028 and 2030 elections.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office did not respond immediately to The Hill’s request for comment.