After a legal challenge was made by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a voting rights group, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has temporarily suspended his office’s investigation into the inconsistencies in the vote count during last November’s “redistricting” special election.
Bianco, who is a prominent Republican candidate in the 2026 California gubernatorial election, stated in an interview with The Epoch Times that the investigation has been “temporarily shelved due to litigation and court filings driven by political motives.”
The investigation stemmed from a local civic group questioning the vote count results of Proposition 50 during the special election held on November 4. Proposition 50 was approved by voters in the special election.
The group alleged that there were discrepancies between the number of ballots received and the official certified total votes. However, election officials stated last month to the county board of supervisors that these accusations lacked evidential support.
In March, Bianco’s office obtained a court-authorized search warrant and seized over 650,000 ballots and related materials from the county registrar’s office, planning to conduct an enforcement investigation into potential vote count discrepancies.
Bianco announced this investigation at a press conference on March 20, stating that it was based on a complaint from a local civic group that had reviewed public records at the county voter registration office.
According to Bianco, handwritten receipt records showed that 611,428 ballots were received, while the number reported to the state government was 657,322 ballots – a difference of approximately 45,896 ballots.
He mentioned that investigators planned to physically count the ballots themselves and compare the total with the officially certified results.
On March 22, Bianco posted on platform X, stating, “Investigating irregularities is necessary so that the public can have full confidence in the system.”
However, Attorney General Bonta and the UCLA Voting Rights Project filed a lawsuit last week, alleging that the sheriff had no authority to handle the ballots already cast, as state law dictates that ballots should be kept by election officials.
The project’s attorney Sonni Waknin stated, “Our election laws are very clear that cast ballots should be kept by election officials, and any arguments put forth by the sheriff cannot change this fundamental principle.”
Bonta’s office sent a letter demanding Bianco to halt the investigation and filed lawsuit applications with the Superior and California Supreme Courts.
Despite this, Bianco had continued to move forward with the investigation and seized more ballot boxes last week. He mentioned that the related search warrants had been approved by a Riverside County judge.
The temporary suspension of the investigation is currently a provisional measure pending clarification of jurisdictional issues by the courts. The sheriff’s office, in court documents, acknowledged that the investigation “will not proceed” until the court clarifies the responsibilities between the court, the Attorney General, and the sheriff.
The documents also noted that the evidence seized was still being held by the sheriff’s department.
Bianco highlighted the time-sensitive nature of the matter in March, stating that according to state guidelines on ballot retention, ballots from the 2025 general election could be destroyed as soon as May of this year.
During a press conference on March 20, Bianco referenced a February study from the University of California, San Diego, which indicated that about 40% of California residents lacked trust in the electoral system.
He stated, “What truly undermines trust in the system is not conducting investigations – or even worse, attempting to obstruct or interfere with a legitimate investigation, covering things up, and potentially allowing evidence to be destroyed.”