Skip to main content
Find a Lawyer

California Code, Elections Code - ELEC § 17301

Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(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 items 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 cast vote records, as defined by Sections 305.5 and 19271.

(3) Voted vote by mail voter ballots.

(4) Vote by mail voter identification envelopes.

(5) Voted provisional voter ballots.

(6) Voted conditional voter registration ballots.

(7) Provisional ballot voter identification envelopes, including conditional voter registration voter identification envelopes cast pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 2170.

(8) Spoiled ballots.

(9) Canceled ballots.

(10) Unused vote by mail ballots surrendered by the voter pursuant to Section 3015.

(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 items identified in subdivision (b) destroyed or recycled.  The packages shall otherwise remain unopened until the items are destroyed or recycled.

Previous Part of Code Next Part of Code
Back to Chapter List

Cite this article: FindLaw.com - California Code, Elections Code - ELEC § 17301 - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/elections-code/elec-sect-17301/

FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs.

Was this helpful?

Welcome to FindLaw's Cases & Codes

A free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw’s Learn About the Law.

Go to Learn About the Law

Latest Blog Posts

For Legal Professionals

Learn About The Law

Get help with your legal needs

FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.

Go to Learn About the Law

Need to Find an Attorney?

Search our directory by legal issue

Enter information in one or both fields (Required)

Copied to clipboard