Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco Seizes More Than Half A Million Ballots

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is simply a starring Republican campaigner for governor, has seized much than 650,000 ballots from past November’s predetermination and is investigating whether they were fraudulently counted.

“This investigation is simple: Physically count nan ballots and comparison that consequence pinch nan full votes recorded,” Bianco said astatine a news convention Friday.

The different probe drew a crisp rebuke from California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, who said successful a connection Friday that it is “unprecedented successful some scope and scale” and appears “not to beryllium based connected facts aliases evidence.”

“There is nary indication, anyplace successful nan United States, of wide elector fraud,” Bonta said. “Counts, recounts, manus counts, audits, and tribunal cases each support this.”

According to Bonta’s office, Bianco’s section connected Feb. 26 seized astir 1,000 boxes of ballot materials successful Riverside County related to nan November predetermination for Proposition 50, which temporarily redrew nan state’s legislature districts to favour Democrats successful consequence to partisan redistricting successful Republican states, including Texas.

The sheriff said his investigators are looking into allegations by a section citizens group that “did their ain audit” and recovered that nan county’s tally was falsely inflated by much than 45,000 votes — a declare that section predetermination officials person refuted.

President Trump, who remains fixated connected his 2020 predetermination loss, continues to amplify predetermination conspiracy theories and has many times called for nan national authorities to “nationalize” state-run elections to antagonistic what he says is wide fraud.

Bonta and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, some Democrats, have vowed to conflict national interference that could impact voting successful California, including efforts to prehend predetermination records, arsenic nan FBI precocious did successful Georgia.

Bianco is an outspoken Trump protagonist who said successful an endorsement video successful 2024 that, aft 30 years of putting criminals successful jail, he figured it was “time to put a felon successful nan White House — Trump 2024, baby” — referencing Trump’s conviction by a New York assemblage for falsifying business records.

Bianco’s investigation, which includes each nan ballots formed successful Riverside County successful November, raises questions astir really he would grip nan predetermination denialism activity if elected governor.

A poll released past week by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by The Times showed Bianco and blimpish commentator Steve Hilton starring nan crowded section of gubernatorial candidates by slim margins, successful a left-leaning state.

Last fall, Prop. 50 passed successful Riverside County pinch 56% of nan ballot — a separator of much than 82,000 ballots.

A citizens group called nan Riverside Election Integrity Team has said it performed an audit uncovering that 45,896 much ballots were counted than were cast.

In a lengthy February presentation to nan Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Registrar of Voters Art Tinoco disputed that figure, saying it was based connected a misunderstanding of earthy information that had not been afloat processed.

The existent discrepancy, Tinoco said, was 103 votes, a variance of 0.016% that was acold beneath what he said was nan state’s preferred 2% separator of correction for certifying results.

Bianco connected Friday said that location “is nary acceptable error, mini aliases large, successful our elections.”

The sheriff did not sanction nan Riverside Election Integrity Team, but his explanation of nan allegations brought to him by “a group of national volunteers” matched theirs.

Bianco said nan investigation was “not a recount” for nan Prop. 50 title and was “just arsenic overmuch to beryllium nan predetermination is meticulous arsenic it is to show different — we will not cognize until nan count is complete.”

Bonta said his agency has “attempted to activity cooperatively” pinch nan Sheriff’s Department to understand nan ground for nan probe. The sheriff, Bonta said, “has delayed, stonewalled, and different refused to activity pinch america successful bully faith” and grounded to supply astir of nan requested documents.

“We’re concerned that location is not capable justification for seizing each ballot that was formed successful this very mostly populated county,” an charismatic successful Bonta’s agency said successful an question and reply Friday night.

In a March 4 letter to Bianco, nan lawyer wide cited Bianco’s scheme to usage sheriff’s section staffers, “who are not trained and person nary experience,” to count nan ballots.

“Let maine beryllium clear: this is unacceptable,” Bonta wrote. “Your determination to prehend ballots and statesman counting them based connected vague, unsubstantiated allegations astir irregularities successful nan November typical predetermination results sets a vulnerable precedent and will only sow distrust successful our elections. You are besides flagrantly violating my directives.”

At his news convention Friday, Bianco fired backmost by calling Bonta “an embarrassment to rule enforcement.”

A Riverside County Superior Court judge, Bianco said, has ordered nan assignment of a typical maestro to oversee nan ballot count.

In a connection Friday, Secretary of State Weber said “the Sheriff’s assertion that his deputies cognize really to count is admirable. The truth remains that he and his deputies are not elections officials and they do not person expertise successful predetermination administration.”