Chapter 1. Affidavits Of Registration And Voter Registration Indexes of California Elections Code >> Division 17. >> Chapter 1.

(a) The elections official shall preserve all canceled original affidavits of registration for a period of five years, after which they may be destroyed by that officer.
  (b) In lieu of preserving the canceled original affidavit of registration, the elections official may, by filming or other suitable method, record the canceled affidavit and destroy the affidavit following the first general election after the date of cancellation.

The elections official shall keep a copy of the index to the affidavits of registration described in Section 2180 on file as a public record for election, political research, and governmental purposes for a period of five years.