Chad Bianco’s fight for election transparency

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican candidate for California governor, has escalated his conflict with state officials by seizing over 650,000 ballots from this past November’s special election. Bianco launched an investigation into Proposition 50, the Election Rigging Response Act, after a local citizen group alleged a discrepancy of more than 45,800 votes.

Proposition 50 was passed as California’s direct response to recent redistricting in Texas. By approving this new map, voters retaliated against GOP gains elsewhere, effectively shifting five U.S. House seats to Democrats to “balance” the national scales.

As sheriff, Bianco maintains his mandate is to investigate potential irregularities, positioning his office as the “last line of defense” for election integrity in Riverside County. 

While Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) argues that election administration falls outside a sheriff’s jurisdiction, Bianco is acting under the broad investigative authority granted to California law enforcement to secure evidence of potential criminal