Chad Bianco
Sheriff of Riverside County, California, since 2019; Republican candidate for governor in 2026.
Chad Bianco must give back about 650,000 Riverside County ballots after the state's highest court unanimously found his seizure unlawful on 24 September 2026; the sheriff calls it a lawful investigation and says he will appeal to the federal courts.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Chad Bianco
Bianco must hand back 650,000 ballots
US Midterms 2026Background
Chad Bianco is the elected sheriff of Riverside County, California. On 9 February 2026 he obtained a warrant and seized about 650,000 ballots from the county registrar, cast in the 4 November 2025 special election on Proposition 50, after an unverified claim that valid ballots and the certified tally differed by 45,896. On 24 September 2026 the state Supreme Court held the seizure unlawful and ordered him to return the ballots and stop handling them.
A 32-year veteran of the department, he was elected sheriff, coroner and public administrator in November 2018, took office in January 2019 and won a second term in June 2022. He ran as a Republican in California's 2 June 2026 top-two primary for governor and did not advance, taking 941,708 votes, 10.2% of the total.
In a companion ruling the Court upheld Attorney General Rob Bonta's power to direct him to pause the inquiry. Between them, the two decisions mark how FAR a California sheriff may carry an election dispute into a criminal case.
Why did Sheriff Chad Bianco seize ballots in Riverside County?
What did the California Supreme Court decide in Cervantes v. Bianco?
Did Chad Bianco make the California governor general election?
Who is Chad Bianco?
