GOP-Gouverneurskandidat von Kalifornien beschlagnahmt in umstrittener Wahluntersuchung über 500.000 Stimmzettel

(From the article): „A California sheriff, who is also a gubernatorial candidate, has seized more than half a million ballots from a November special election, citing an investigation into an alleged ballot count discrepancy.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, took possession of the ballots from county election officials, who have publicly disputed his claims.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, condemned Bianco’s actions as unprecedented, suggesting they are intended to undermine public trust in the electoral process.

Sheriff Bianco held a news conference on Friday, stating his office initiated the probe following a complaint from a local citizens group regarding the ballot count from a November 2025 special election focused on redistricting.

In that special election, voters approved a measure to redraw congressional district lines, a move designed to benefit Democrats in the upcoming midterm election. The measure passed within the county by a significant margin of over 80,000 votes.

Bianco seized ballots in Riverside County, the inland California county of 2.5 million people where he has twice been elected sheriff. He called the effort „a fact-finding mission.“

“This investigation is simple: Physically count the ballots and compare that result with the total votes reported,” he said Friday.

Bianco is one of two prominent Republicans running for governor in a crowded June primary that includes more than half a dozen Democrats. California runs a top-two primary system that puts all candidates on the same ballot, regardless of party, and sends the two candidates who get the most voters onto the November general election.

Leading California Democrats are worried that their party has so many candidates, they risk splitting the vote and sending Bianco and Steve Hilton, another top Republican, onto the general election. That would be a stunning outcome in the heavily Democratic state.

Bianco said the investigation had “absolutely nothing to do” with his campaign for governor.

“I have a duty to investigate alleged crime in Riverside County,” he said.

The effort came as President Donald Trump has repeatedly disputed the results of the 2020 election, citing unsubstantiated instances of fraud. His administration recently seized ballots and other documents from an election office in Georgia. Some Republicans have mirrored Trump’s rhetoric on voting in their states.

Bonta has repeatedly sent letters to Bianco’s office over the last two months saying his staff is not qualified to conduct a recount. In one of the letters, Bonta wrote that the ballot seizure was “unacceptable” and “sets a dangerous precedent and will only sow distrust in our elections.”

The letters said Bianco seized nearly 1,000 boxes of ballots and elections materials from the county’s elections office with a warrant in February. At issue, Bianco said, is a discrepancy a citizen group reported between the handwritten ballot intake logs and the number of votes reported to the state.

Bianco said the alleged discrepancy amounted to about 45,800 votes — a difference elections officials have refuted at county meetings, saying the machine count and the final count submitted to the state differed by about 100 votes. They argue the handwritten rolls, which were not relied on to check the count, were being kept by temporary elections workers who had worked long days and may have made mistakes.

Bianco said Friday that the count had started and stopped, but would now resume under the supervision of a special master appointed by a judge.“

Riverside. 

Checks out.

Bounce his ass out of his law enforcement position, this is abuse of office and voter intimidation.

Wait until he finds out most of the ‚errors‘ we’re in his favor.

The only ones I see that are attempting to rig or steal elections are Republicans.

This guy is another trump wanna be. And the Democrats need to get their act together and the less popular candidates step aside or we will have another crazy clown running the state.

Where’s Gavin Newsom with the CA natl guard to arrest this guy. If He’s one of them „constitutional Sherriff“ disciples then he’s a delusional, extra-legal, proto facist mf who needs to be brought back down to earth with time in a cell.

This is a federal election crime.

And I think it might backfire.

feels like this would be outside of the scope of his authority

surely the county, state, or a judge can step in?

So the California DA and Governor are just…chillin‘?

So ask for a recount?

Ballots should *never* leave election officials’ custody

I’m so confused by his Wikipedia page given this news:

“
In June 2020, Bianco showed support for Black Lives Matter and knelt with protestors, during the George Floyd protests.[31]

In June 2024, Bianco sarcastically endorsed Donald Trump for President, saying “It’s time we put a felon in the White House. Trump 2024, baby. Let’s save this country and make America great again,” referring to Trump’s felony conviction in May 2024. [32]
„

“GOP California governor candidate **illegally** seizes over 500,000 ballots ~~in disputed election probe~~ **as part of his election tampering**”

Fixed that headline for you.

As is typical; a Republicans commit a blatant crime, a Democrat responds with a letter.

This is just a dress rehearsal for what’s going to happen in November.

On whos authority? Can I just seize ballots too?

If there’s anything republicans like to touch more than children, it’s election results