(a) The following provisions 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) Upon the completion of the counting of the votes as provided in Article 4 (commencing with Section 15640) of Chapter 9 of Division 15, all ballot cards shall be kept by the elections official for 22 months from the date of the election or so long thereafter as any contest involving the vote at the election remains undetermined.

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(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, the final disposition of all voted ballot cards shall be determined by the elections official.

(d) Sealed ballot containers may be opened if the elections official determines it is necessary in a shredding or recycling process. This section shall not be construed to allow packages or containers to be opened except for purposes specified herein. The packages or containers shall otherwise remain unopened until the ballots are destroyed or recycled.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 806, Sec. 82. (SB 286) Effective January 1, 2018.)