Court denies California’s bid to halt Riverside sheriff’s recount of 2025 election ballots - CalMatters

A California court has rejected an attempt by the state to block Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bigelow from conducting a recount of 2025 election ballots. The decision allows the sheriff's office to proceed with its audit of the ballots, which had been challenged by state officials who questioned the legality or necessity of the recount. The ruling represents a setback for California's effort to halt the count and suggests courts may be deferring to local election officials on recount procedures. The outcome could influence how other counties handle post-election audits and recounts in the state. The specifics of which races or precincts are being recounted and the sheriff's stated rationale for the audit were not detailed in available reporting.