Section 14404 Of Article 1. General Provisions From California Elections Code >> Division 14. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 1.
14404
. Immediately upon the arrival of the hour when the polls are
required by law to be closed on election day, the elections official
conducting the election shall openly, in the elections official's
main office, in the presence of any persons who are present to
observe, according to the procedure set forth in Section 14403,
proceed to render every unused ballot remaining in the control of the
elections official unusable. The elections official shall forthwith
make and file an affidavit, in writing, as to the number of ballots
destroyed. If the procedure in subdivision (c) of Section 14403 is
used, the tamperproof seal shall be signed by the elections official
and at least one deputy or assistant elections official or registrar.
The sealed container shall then be placed, with the sealed
containers containing unused ballots from the precincts, in a
security area by the elections official until disposition is made
pursuant to Section 17301 or 17302.
Alternatively, the elections official may, immediately upon the
arrival of the hour when the polls are closed, recycle for any other
lawful purpose any unused ballots remaining in the control of the
elections official that clearly identify the election for which they
were prepared. No later than 30 days following the last day to
certify the official results of the election, the elections official
shall make and file an affidavit, in writing, as to the number of
ballots recycled. At the elections official's discretion, the unused
ballots may be recycled up to six months following an election or at
the conclusion of an election contest proceeding, whichever is later.