No used or unused ballots may be destroyed until 22 months following the election. This schedule allows you to destroy ballots (by fire or otherwise) immediately before the next comparable election if you have elections each two years. All voted ballots (including counted, spoiled, challenged and absentee ballots) are not destroyed until 22 months following the election. However, a determination is made on election night whether the number of unused ballots remaining after voting corresponds to the number which should remain after the voted, spoiled, challenged and absentee ballots are accounted for. If there is a discrepancy, the unused ballots are kept secure until the discrepancy is resolved in the canvass. The voting device ballot labels remain in the voting device and sealed until they are needed for another election. In voting machine systems, all voted paper ballots (absentee, challenged) are kept for 22 months following the election. The voting machines remain sealed until seven days after the canvass is concluded, after which time the counters may be reset to zero, unless a court has ordered otherwise.
(Ord. 05-07. Passed 10-20-05.)