CA, US & World
Riverside County to Destroy 650,000 Ballots, Ending Sheriff Bianco’s Election Investigation
Riverside County officials have confirmed plans to destroy approximately 650,000 ballots from the 2025 special election, effectively ending Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s investigation into a possible ballot miscount. They confirmed that the ballots were sent out to be destroyed and are no longer in the county's possession.
The decision comes weeks after the California Supreme Court ruled that Bianco’s seizure of the ballots was unlawful, prompting renewed debate over election security, law enforcement authority and the preservation of voting records.
Bianco expressed frustration over the decision, accusing state officials of shutting down his investigation and eliminating potential evidence.
“What they put in place so we could monitor how many ballots come in, we could count them, we could keep track of them ... they destroy all of the evidence and then they dismantle the safeguards that they put in place to count those ballots as they came in,” Bianco said.
However, the Riverside County Registrar of Voters maintains the county is following state law.
In a statement to NBC Palm Springs, the registrar said the California Department of Justice had completed its review of the sheriff’s investigation and had no objection to the county disposing of the ballots in accordance with state law.
The California Secretary of State’s office also confirmed that the ballots must be destroyed under California Elections Code Section 17302(c).
Local legal experts say the destruction of election materials after the applicable legal requirements have been met is part of maintaining election integrity and protecting voter privacy. One expert also argued that allowing outside interference in the ballot-counting process could undermine public confidence in elections.
Bianco, however, denies any wrongdoing and maintains that he followed proper legal procedures throughout the investigation.
“I’m the only one that went through the justice system the correct way and did everything right by the book, and now we have it taken away from us,” Bianco said.
The sheriff also criticized California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who challenged his legal authority to seize and investigate the ballots.
NBC Palm Springs reached out to Bonta for comment and had not received a response at the time of broadcast.
By: Maria Noble Valdez
October 13, 2026
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