New Jersey Statutes Title 19. Elections 19 § 53B-20

When district board members have processed both voted and non-voted emergency ballots, the ballots shall remain sealed within the box for a period of 15 calendar days, which shall begin on the first business day after the day of the election, except that if a judge of the Superior Court issues a court order to open the box within the 15-day period, the box shall be opened.

On the first business day after the 15-day period, the custodian of the voting machines shall break the numbered security seals and the emergency ballot boxes shall be opened. All voted emergency ballots located within an emergency ballot box shall be removed from the box and shall be placed in a container or an envelope and sealed. The front of each container or envelope shall contain the number of the voting machine, the name of the municipality and the ward or district number where the machine was located during the election. The commissioner of registration shall preserve the containers or envelopes and the contents of the containers or envelopes for a period of two years from the date that the election occurred.