LOS ANGELES – Today, in response to reports of over half a million voter ballots seized by Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco last week, ACLU SoCal Executive Director Chandra Bhatnagar issued the following statement:
“Sheriff Bianco has repeatedly drawn criticism for false or misleading claims — whether regarding his department’s lack of transparency or the alarming number of in-custody deaths in Riverside County. His latest action continues this troubling pattern.
Let’s be clear: no sheriff has a legitimate role — much less experience — in administering our elections or in handling hundreds of thousands of voters’ ballots. The sheriff's investigation represents a serious threat to voter privacy, undermines our democratic process and raises questions about the misuse of law enforcement authority for political gain.
Against the backdrop of the U.S. Department of Justice pressuring states to turn over unredacted voter rolls, this fishing expedition sets a dangerous precedent and reeks of election meddling. We cannot look away as a local official engages in an authoritarian power grab straight out of President Trump's playbook.
We join Attorney General Bonta and our state officials in demanding Bianco put an immediate end to this frivolous investigation.”
The ACLU SoCal is comprised of two entities: the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, a 501(c)3, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, a 501(c)4. The ACLU SoCal is nonpartisan and neither endorses nor opposes candidates for elected office, nor does it make financial contributions to candidates.
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