California sheriff unlawfully seized over 650,000 ballots and must return them, state Supreme Court rules
Updated on: September 24, 2026 / 7:50 PM PDT / CBS LA
TL;DR
- The California Supreme Court unanimously ruled Sheriff Chad Bianco unlawfully seized over 650,000 ballots and violated election law.
- Bianco was ordered to cease his election fraud investigation and return the ballots to county officials.
- The court affirmed the Attorney General's authority to supervise county sheriffs and halt investigations.
- Bianco stated he would obey the court's order to return ballots but disagreed with the ruling's implications.
- The seizure was related to an investigation into alleged discrepancies in vote counts for a redistricting measure.
- Governor Newsom praised the ruling and announced new legislation to prevent ballot seizure.