The records and supplies of any election when received by the elections official shall be disposed of in the manner set forth in this chapter.
Chapter 8Disposition of Ballots and Supplies by the Elections Official
Section § 15550
This law states that when election records and supplies are received by the elections official, they must be handled and disposed of according to the rules outlined in this chapter.
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Section § 15551
This law says that if there's a legal challenge or criminal case involving election results, the voted ballots must be preserved until the case is decided. For congressional election contests, the ballots are kept for possible review by the House of Representatives. In state legislative contests, the ballots remain available for review by the relevant state legislative committee until the contest's resolution or the session ends. Elections officials are responsible for safeguarding the ballots, and they cannot be removed from their control.
If a contest or any such criminal prosecution has been commenced prior to the date fixed for its destruction, the package containing the voted ballots shall be subject to the order of the court in which the contest or criminal prosecution is pending and shall not be destroyed until after final determination of the contest or criminal prosecution.
In the case of a congressional election contest, the elections official shall hold the ballots of that congressional district in custody subject to the inspection of any committee of the House of Representatives having in charge the investigation of the contest, until the final determination of the contest by the House of Representatives.
In the case of a contest in the State Legislature, the elections official shall hold the ballots of the Senate or Assembly district in custody subject to the inspection of any committee of the Senate or Assembly having in charge the investigation of the contest until the final determination of the contest or the final adjournment of the session of the Legislature in which the contest is filed, whichever is the later.
In no event shall the package or its contents be taken from the custody of the elections official.
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