A California appeals court has denied a request from state Attorney General Rob Bonta to halt a ballot recount being conducted by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. The three-judge panel of the Fourth Appellate District ruled on Tuesday that Bonta should first seek relief from a lower court.
Bonta had filed a 70-page petition on Monday, arguing that the sheriff's investigation threatened to undermine public confidence in elections. The dispute stems from Bianco's seizure of over 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election, in which voters approved Proposition 50, a measure that redrew congressional districts to favour Democrats.
Sheriff Bianco, a Republican candidate for governor, claims the election results were off by 45,800 votes, though election officials say the discrepancy is closer to 100 votes. Bianco stated that a superior court judge had appointed a special master to oversee the recount, which he described as a simple physical count to verify the recorded totals.
Bonta has sent multiple letters to Bianco's office over the past two months, asserting that the sheriff's staff is not qualified to conduct a recount and that the ballot seizure sets a dangerous precedent. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California also criticised the move, with executive director Chandra Bhatnagar calling it a threat to voter privacy and democratic processes.
