CA Supreme Court Orders RivCo Sheriff To Pause Election Investigation

SACRAMENTO, CA — The California Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to pause his investigation into alleged election fraud after his department seized more than 650,000 Proposition 50 special election ballots this year.

The order came after California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, last month asked the court to step in, arguing the sheriff, who is a leading candidate in the governor's race, has no authority over election materials. A voting rights group is also challenging the seizure of ballots from the Proposition 50 special election.

RELATED: Could Trump's Non-Endorsement Of Sheriff Chad Bianco Backfire On GOP?

Opponents of Proposition 50 have argued the measure to redraw California’s congressional districts was unfair and favored Democrats. The measure was passed overwhelmingly with 64.4 percent of California voters supporting the redistricting effort.

The dispute over Proposition 50 ballots started earlier this year and escalated last month when Bianco seized 1,000 boxes of election materials to investigate a complaint from a local citizens group about the ballot count from a November 2025 special election on redistricting. Local election officials told the county Board of Supervisors that the complaint was unfounded. After Bonta ordered Bianco to halt his probe, the sheriff seized another 426 boxes of ballots.

Bianco and his office “are hereby ordered to pause the investigation into the November 2025 special election and preserve all seized items,” the order reads.

Bonta said the Wednesday order is essential to stop the sheriff’s probe.

“What the Sheriff says and what he does are often two different things,” Bonta said in a statement. “Today’s decision by the California Supreme Court reins in the destabilizing actions of a rogue Sheriff, prohibiting him from continuing this investigation while our litigation continues.”
Bianco’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bianco, a Republican, is running neck-and-neck with Republican commentator Steve Hilton in the gubernatorial race, according to recent poll numbers. Bianco and Hilton made headlines on Monday after Hilton secured an endorsement for governor from President Donald Trump instead of Bianco.

Bianco previously defended his investigation, noting it was approved by a county judge. The sheriff last week said he’s paused the probe because of mounting legal challenges.

The ballot investigation came as President Donald Trump has repeatedly disputed the results of the 2020 election, citing unsubstantiated instances of fraud. His administration recently seized ballots and other documents from an election office in Georgia. Some Republicans such as Bianco have mirrored Trump’s rhetoric on voting in their states.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue to follow this developing story.

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