California Supreme Court Orders Sheriff to Halt Election Investigation.

[dudmuck]

What law is that?

Federal law designates election officials as the custodians of “all records and papers which come into [their] possession relating to any application, registration, payment of poll tax, or other act requisite to voting” (52 U.S.C. § 20701). Election officials must “preserve and maintain” these records for 22 months (52 U.S.C. § 20701). The Department of Justice has advised that election-related records must remain under election officials’ supervision, thereby limiting conditions under which others may be granted access. Separately, California state law designates “election officials” as responsible for “keep[ing]” and “preserv[ing]” election records, including voted ballots (Cal. Elec. Code § 17302), voter rosters (Cal. Elec. Code § 17300), and certain voter registration materials (Cal. Elec. Code § 17001).

State and federal law may limit or establish access conditions to the information that local California election officials are required to or prohibited from providing to federal officials. For example, 52 U.S.C. § 20703 requires custodians to make election records “available for inspection, reproduction, and copying at the principal office of such custodian” but only if the Attorney makes a demand “in writing… [that includes] a statement of the basis and the purpose therefor.” Some state and local entities are currently in discussions with the DOJ regarding the bounds of what data they are either obligated to or prohibited from providing. The department has filed at least one civil lawsuit against a local election official in California, and has filed a civil lawsuit against the California secretary of state.

 

[candycorn]

Your feeling is not a law. Are you saying once a ballot is casted, no one can review the authenticity of the ballot?

Without a court order...no they cannot.

If the sheriff were a liberal democrat and you voted against him, would you be comfortable with him reviewing your ballots?

What about your bank records? If you have nothing to hide....why would you worry?

What about your kid’s grades?

Medical records?

The only reason you’re supporting this clear overstep is because you have this fucked up world view of voter fraud. Trump made you crazy. You should have realized that by now but something tells me that you’ll never realize it....much less admit it.

 

[drudge X]

Without a court order...no they cannot.

If the sheriff were a liberal democrat and you voted against him, would you be comfortable with him reviewing your ballots?

What about your bank records? If you have nothing to hide....why would you worry?

What about your kid’s grades?

Medical records?

The only reason you’re supporting this clear overstep is because you have this fucked up world view of voter fraud. Trump made you crazy. You should have realized that by now but something tells me that you’ll never realize it....much less admit it.

No you dope. The sheriff has a warrant, in fact three warrants. You know who signs the warrant I hope. Bonta, state AG, claimed he found deficiencies with the warrants but couldn't tell what the deficiencies are. Bullshit .. that's why he asked the state supreme court to halt the seizure.

Oh.. one more to add. The media were bullshitting by using the term "secret warrants" so readers can say the sheriff is malicious when sealed warrants are common.

 

[candycorn]

No you dope. The sheriff has a warrant, in fact three warrants. You know who signs the warrant I hope.

Wow, could you imagine if that was true?

Bonta, state AG, claimed he found deficiencies with the warrants but couldn't tell what the deficiencies are. Bullshit .. that's why he asked the state supreme court to halt the seizure.

I read the NYT article. The deficiencies look pretty specific--no identified malfeasance and continuing his activities after he was slapped down and told to stop.

Oh.. one more to add. The media were bullshitting by using the term "secret warrants" so readers can say the sheriff is malicious when sealed warrants are common.

The sheriff is being malicious.
He didn’t like the results so he’s staging this bit of theater and getting outside of his lane.

Nothing unusual for a MAGA sheriff looking for a nighly slot on FOX news.

 

[Independent thinker]

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a candidate for governor, had seized ballots from a 2025 special election based on unsubstantiated claims of election irregularities.

The California Supreme Court ordered a local sheriff on Wednesday to halt an investigation into the 2025 election that prompted him to seize more than 650,000 ballots from a local election office.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/us/politics/california-supreme-court-orders-sheriff-to-halt-election-investigation.html

The sheriff, Chad Bianco, a Republican from Riverside County and a candidate for governor, opened the probe into last year’s special election in late February after a group of election activists claimed that vote tallies did not match the number of ballots received. Local authorities swiftly debunked the report.

But Mr. Bianco continued to pursue his investigation, seizing more election materials in late March over the objections of the attorney general of California and the secretary of state, both of whom claimed Mr. Bianco’s efforts were based on unsubstantiated claims and risked undermining faith in elections.

This was noting more cheap political theater for Bianco. He never had the authority to demand the ballots in first place, he even so far as to say the California State Supreme Count had no authority to stop him. What really hurts him now is that Trump did not even endorse him.

Why are they afraid of an investigation? If it turns up nothing then it turns up nothing. Sounds like a coverup to me and the only reason you cover up is because there is something to cover up.

 

[drudge X]

Wow, could you imagine if that was true?

I read the NYT article. The deficiencies look pretty specific--no identified malfeasance and continuing his activities after he was slapped down and told to stop.

The sheriff is being malicious.
He didn’t like the results so he’s staging this bit of theater and getting outside of his lane.

Nothing unusual for a MAGA sheriff looking for a nighly slot on FOX news.

So he broke no laws but hurt the feelings of leftists, right?

 

[candycorn]

So he broke no laws but hurt the feelings of leftists, right?

Depends. What does the alleged warrants say?