California Supreme Court Reviews Sheriff’s Ballot Seizure

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco seized roughly 650,000 ballots from the Riverside County Registrar of Voters after obtaining search warrants in March 2026. The ballots were cast in the November 2025 special election that determined whether California would redraw its congressional districts along partisan lines. The California Supreme Court is hearing two related cases—*Cervantes v. Bianco*, which asks whether the seized ballots must be returned, and a suit by Attorney General Rob Bonta that questions the attorney general’s authority to direct a county sheriff. Oral arguments are scheduled for a Monday morning in late August at the Ronald M. George State Office Complex in San Francisco.

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The seizure occurred after a local citizens group raised concerns about ballot discrepancies, though Registrar Art Tinoco said the claims were unfounded. In April 2026 the Court temporarily halted Bianco’s investigation, but the justices have not yet ruled on the merits. A 2025 law, Senate Bill 73, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, makes it a felony to remove ballots from a county registrar’s custody. Bianco, a Republican who ran for governor and was eliminated in the June primary, argues his action was a lawful criminal investigation, not a formal recount, and cites the state Penal Code as authorizing seizure of property used in a felony.

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UCLA Voting Rights Project senior attorney Sonni Waknin called the handling of ballots “incredibly harmful for our democracy.” Bianco’s counsel, **Bradley W.

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• Approx. 650,000 ballots seized (about 1,000 boxes).

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• Ballots originated from the November 2025 special election.

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• Voter-approved measure created up to five additional Democratic-leaning districts.

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• “The two cases raise important questions about the respective roles of elected sheriffs, the attorney general, elections officials, and the courts,” — Bradley W. Hertz, an attorney representing Bianco

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• “Every day that ballots are handled outside the view of the public or outside the proscriptions of the legislature it’s incredibly harmful for our democracy,” — Sonni Waknin, a senior attorney with the UCLA Voting Rights Project

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• “The Sheriff’s misguided investigation threatens to sow distrust and jeopardize public confidence in the upcoming primary and general elections, not just in Riverside County but around the State,” — General Rob Bonta, california attorney

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