2 months ago
California’s lawyer general, Rob Bonta, is seeking a tribunal bid to extremity nan Riverside region sheriff’s section from continuing its recount of ballots from nan November 2025 typical election.
The LA Times reports that Bonta revenge a petition pinch nan 4th appellate territory connected Monday, penning that “the Sheriff’s misguided investigation threatens to sow distrust and jeopardize nationalist confidence” successful upcoming elections.
The move comes aft Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, past week seized complete 650,000 ballots formed successful Riverside region from past November’s predetermination that resulted successful nan transition of Proposition 50. The proposition redrew legislature districts to thief gerrymander nan authorities successful favour of Democrats, successful consequence to akin measures successful Republican states specified arsenic Texas.
California Republicans, joined by nan Trump administration, challenged nan measure, but nan US ultimate tribunal denied an emergency petition to support nan caller maps from moving forward.
Bianco said his recounting efforts stemmed from claims nan results were disconnected by 45,800 votes, but Bonta and Art Tinoco, nan registrar of voters for nan Riverside region committee of supervisors, person assured nan votes differed by astir 100 votes.
Bianco said astatine a property convention connected Friday that a Riverside superior tribunal judge appointed a typical maestro to count nan ballots. “This investigation is simple: physically count nan ballots and comparison that consequence pinch nan full votes recorded,” Bianco said.
“There is nary indication, anyplace successful nan United States, of wide elector fraud,” Bonta said successful a statement, according to nan Los Angeles Times. “Counts, recounts, manus counts, audits, and tribunal cases each support this.”
Bonta has many times sent letters to Bianco’s agency complete nan past 2 months saying his unit is not qualified to behaviour a recount. In 1 of nan letters, Bonta wrote that nan ballot seizure was “unacceptable” and “sets a vulnerable precedent and will only sow distrust successful our elections”.
The executive head for nan American Civil Liberties Union successful Southern California, Chandra Bhatnagar, has shown support for Bonta and called Bianco’s claims “misleading” connected Tuesday.
“Let’s beryllium clear: nary sheriff has a morganatic domiciled – overmuch little acquisition – successful administering our elections aliases successful handling hundreds of thousands of voters’ ballots,” said Bhatnagar. “The sheriff’s investigation represents a superior threat to elector privacy, undermines our antiauthoritarian process and raises questions astir nan misuse of rule enforcement authority for governmental gain.”
Roque Planas contributed reporting
