‘A blatant political ploy’: California sheriff’s seizure of referendum ballots sets off alarm bells

Chad Bianco of Riverside county obtained warrants to seize ballots cast for state’s successful redistricting referendum

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A California sheriff’s decision to seize about 650,000 ballots based on specious allegations of fraud has raised considerable alarm bells that similar efforts to undermine confidence in the electoral system could materialize this fall.

The episode underscores how sheriffs and other officials can transform shoddy claims about voter fraud into law enforcement actions. Executing a warrant to seize ballots disrupts the chain of custody that is critical to maintaining ballot integrity, and also plants the idea in the public’s mind that a crime has occurred.