Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco Seizes 650K Ballots; Supervisor Medina Alleges Misuse of County Resources
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Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco speaks during a March 20 press conference at sheriff’s headquarters regarding the department’s seizure and count of more than 650K ballots tied to the 2025 Prop 50 election.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco used a March 20 press conference to defend his office’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots tied to the 2025 Proposition 50 election, saying investigators are physically counting them to determine whether an alleged discrepancy in reported totals is real. Bianco said the effort is part of an ongoing election investigation, not a recount, and said the count will restart under court supervision with a special master.
The press conference quickly drew sharp criticism from Riverside County Supervisor Jose Medina, who accused Bianco of using county personnel and public resources to advance his campaign for governor. Medina says the event appeared less like a neutral law enforcement briefing and more like a political spectacle staged from the sheriff’s headquarters.
“After watching last Friday’s so-called press conference, it is clear to me that Sheriff Chad Bianco has chosen to be a full-time candidate for Governor of the State of California,” Medina said. “What is not clear to me is who is running the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.”
At the press conference, Bianco said the investigation stemmed from information provided by a group of citizen volunteers who reviewed public records from the Riverside County Registrar of Voters. According to Bianco, handwritten intake logs allegedly showed 611,428 ballots cast, while 657,322 votes were reported and certified to the Secretary of State — a difference of 45,896 votes. He said investigators are counting the ballots to determine whether that discrepancy is valid and, if so, what caused it.
“This investigation is simple,” Bianco said. “Physically count the ballots and compare that result with the total votes reported.”
Bianco also rejected claims that the investigation is politically motivated, saying, “I have a duty to make sure we investigate crime in Riverside County. Or alleged crime in Riverside County.” He claims that the investigation “has absolutely nothing to do” with his campaign for governor.
State and county election officials have disputed the basis for the sheriff’s actions. The Los Angeles Times reported that Riverside County Registrar of Voters Art Tinoco told county supervisors the citizen group’s claim was based on “a misunderstanding of raw data that had not been fully processed” and said the actual variance was 103 votes, not more than 45,000. The Times also reported that Attorney General Rob Bonta called the ballot seizure “unprecedented in both scope and scale” and said it appeared not to be based on facts or evidence.
Bonta condemned the ballot seizure, calling it unprecedented and warning that it could undermine public confidence in elections.
Riverside Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes told IECN, “According to California law ballots have to stay in custody of election officials per California Elections Code Division 17, Chapter 4, Section 17302 and 17304 which states all election materials must remain secure in the possession of the County Registrar of Voters.”
Cervantes also went on to explain how according to California law, only election officials are permitted “by law” to handle and count votes. Specifically, California Elections Code Division 18, Article 4, Section 18575 states that any person who is not an appointed election officer attempts to handle, count or canvass ballots will be guilty of a felony.
“Sheriff Bianco has already admitted at his press conference that his team started counting ballots. This is against the law in California and subject to a felony. Whatever law enforcement authority the sheriff has, there is no statute that allows the sheriff to commandeer ballots away from election officials.”
Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes
For Medina, the issue extends beyond the disputed election theory itself. He argues the larger concern is whether county resources are being used to serve Bianco’s political ambitions.
“The only fraud I see is a candidate for Governor of the State of California using Riverside County resources and personnel to advance his own political agenda,” Medina said. “The Riverside County Board of Supervisors should not turn a blind eye while Sheriff Chad Bianco misuses valuable county resources for his own political gain.”
Medina said he had already urged Bianco before the most recent Board of Supervisors meeting to take a leave of absence, arguing that no one can realistically manage a department of roughly 4,300 employees and a $1.2 billion budget while mounting a statewide campaign. He also questioned whether assigning deputies to count hundreds of thousands of ballots is an appropriate use of public safety personnel.
“What is the cost of using Riverside County deputies to count more than 650,000 ballots? Is this the best use of our deputies’ time?” Medina said.
Medina also said Bianco “must return all 650,000 ballots where they belong, to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters,” and called for the matter to be referred to the district attorney and the county’s Fraud, Waste and Abuse Committee for investigation.
Bianco has maintained that the count should continue and said the purpose is “just as much to prove the election is accurate as it is to show otherwise.”
As the legal and political fight continues, Medina’s criticism has sharpened the central question hanging over the controversy: whether Riverside County’s sheriff can separate the power and resources of his office from the demands of a campaign for governor.
