California Supreme Court hears arguments over sheriff’s seizure of ballots
San Francisco (AP) — The California Supreme Court is deliberating whether a Southern California sheriff, Chad Bianco, must return election ballots to county officials after seizing around 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election on redistricting. The election outcome was decided by approximately 80,000 votes. Bianco seized the ballots in March, claiming to investigate a complaint from a local citizens group; however, the complaint was later deemed unfounded by election officials.
Bianco, who was running for governor at the time, did not return the ballots and was subsequently sued by the Democratic Attorney General, Rob Bonta, and the University of California, Los Angeles Voting Rights Project. Bianco initiated a recount using sheriff’s officials under court supervision but halted it days later due to legal challenges.
The court heard arguments regarding Bianco’s authority over election materials and his compliance with the legal process.
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