UCLA Voting Rights Project
Coverage of UCLA Voting Rights Project in the Nexus archive.
- California high court questions Riverside County sheriff’s ballot investigation
The California Supreme Court heard an argument regarding whether Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco should return approximately 650,000 seized ballots to election officials. Bianco obtained and kept these ballots as part of an investigation into a purported discrepancy concerning Prop 50 redistricting in the special election. Ultimately, the court ordered Bianco to stop his investigation and preserve all items seized.
- California Supreme Court hears arguments over sheriff’s seizure of ballots
The California Supreme Court heard arguments regarding a sheriff’s seizure of approximately 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election in Riverside County. The core dispute is whether the sheriff has the authority to hold and withhold these materials after local officials deemed an initial complaint unfounded. Legal groups argued that proper contest mechanisms were ignored, while the sheriff's representation stated he was safeguarding the ballots as evidence.