Sheriff Seizes Ballots, Recount Underway in CA

0:00Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is running for California Governor, has taken control of more than half a million ballots from a November. Special election. He's looking into a reported mismatch between vote counts and intake logs. The election passed a measure to redraw congressional districts, winning by over 80,000 votes in the 2.5 million-person county. Bianco, a Republican twice-elected sheriff, describes this as a straightforward fact-finding effort to physically recount ballots and match them. Against official tallies, it stems from a citizen group's tip about discrepancies. He's one of two leading Republicans in the state's top two primary this June, where the top two vote getters advance, regardless of party. County election officials strongly dispute Bianco's claims of any issues. California Attorney General Rob Bonza has called the ballot seizure unprecedented and warned it erodes trust in elections. Seeing Democrats fear their crowded field could split votes and let Republicans like Bianco reach the general election in the blue state.

1:02In February, Bianco's team grabbed nearly 1,000 boxes of ballots and materials using a court warrant. Bonza sent multiple letters saying the sheriff's staff lacks qualifications for a recount and that the move sets a bad precedent. The physical count began, but paused, and now it's restarting under a judge appointed special master to oversee the process. This comes amid ongoing national debates over election integrity. That's your Canada News Today update. AI powered and always on.