California Sheriff Investigates Election Integrity
This weekend, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is also a prominent Republican candidate for governor, reported gaining over 650,000 votes during California’s upcoming November election.
Bianco has initiated an investigation regarding the November 2025 special election linked to Proposition 50. This comes after the Riverside Election Integrity Team, a third-party group, claimed to have discovered around 45,000 additional votes. Despite the election officials in California dismissing these claims, Bianco stated that his office would proceed with a recount.
“The premise of this investigation is straightforward: we will physically count the ballots and compare them to the recorded total,” Bianco told reporters during a press conference on Friday.
Proposition 50 is seen as a significant measure aimed at reforming California’s congressional districts, and it appears to be designed to favor Democrats, contrasting a similar Republican initiative in Texas.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Shirley Weber contended that Bianco lacked the authority to instigate a recount, emphasizing, “The allegations made lacked credible evidence and could undermine public trust in elections. The sheriff’s assertion that he knows how to count is commendable, but his office does not have the necessary expertise in election administration.”
Earlier, Riverside Elections Director Art Tinoco rejected the Election Integrity Team’s claims, indicating that their understanding of how votes were counted on Election Day was flawed. Tinoco noted that initial counts presented by poll workers were meant to be estimates, yet he stated that the final tally was remarkably close to the initial count—within 0.16%, or just 103 votes.
However, the Election Integrity Team is adamant about the correctness of their calculations, leading Bianco to pursue his own inquiry.
Bianco has accused California Attorney General Bob Bonta, a Democrat, of meddling in the investigation, although Bonta maintained that his office was merely trying to understand the basis for the inquiry.
Bianco has exchanged heated remarks on social media with Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell, also a gubernatorial candidate.
Reportedly, Bianco mentioned that his office received several letters from Bonta instructing him to halt the investigation. He expressed his concerns about what he deemed “outrageous conduct” coming from someone claiming to represent law enforcement. “It’s troubling, especially from someone who calls himself an officer. I’ve said this countless times—it’s an embarrassment,” Bianco remarked.
Neither Bonta nor Weber has responded to inquiries from news outlets concerning the matter.
