Section 17301 Of Chapter 4. Precinct Supplies And Ballots From California Elections Code >> Division 17. >> Chapter 4.
17301
. (a) The following provisions shall apply to those elections
where candidates for one or more of the following offices are voted
upon: President, Vice President, United States Senator, and United
States Representative.
(b) The packages containing the following ballots and
identification envelope shall be kept by the elections official,
unopened and unaltered, for 22 months from the date of the election:
(1) Voted polling place ballots.
(2) Paper record copies, as defined by Section 19271, if any, of
voted polling place ballots.
(3) Voted vote by mail voter ballots.
(4) Vote by mail voter identification envelopes.
(5) Voted provisional voter ballots.
(6) Provisional ballot voter identification envelopes.
(7) Spoiled ballots.
(8) Canceled ballots.
(9) Unused vote by mail ballots surrendered by the voter pursuant
to Section 3015.
(10) Ballot receipts.
(c) If a contest is not commenced within the 22-month period, or
if a criminal prosecution involving fraudulent use, marking or
falsification of ballots, or forgery of vote by mail voters'
signatures is not commenced within the 22-month period, either of
which may involve the vote of the precinct from which voted ballots
were received, the elections official shall have the ballots
destroyed or recycled. The packages shall otherwise remain unopened
until the ballots are destroyed or recycled.