Sec. 14-6. - Safeguarding ballots.

(a)

After any municipal election has been conducted and the official ballots have been duly counted and tabulated, the municipal election commission shall place the ballots into envelopes which shall be placed into ballot boxes. The ballot boxes containing the ballots shall be locked and placed in the town safe or other equally secure place. The keys to the ballot box shall be placed in the custody of the chairperson of the election commission or a member of the commission designated by the chairperson. The ballots shall be left undisturbed in the town safe or other place unless the municipal election commission shall order the ballots released for the purpose of a contested election or for conducting a recount of ballots as authorized by state law. After the proceedings of a contested election shall have been completed or adjourned for the day, the ballots shall be redeposited in the town safe or other equally secure place according to the procedure described above.

(b)

If no appeals are made or no contests filed, the municipal election commission shall order, in writing, the ballots destroyed at the end of the third week following the date of the elections; provided that no ballots shall be destroyed until all appeals before the council or the courts have been finally decided.

(Code 1995, § 1.12.060; Code 2006, § 34.06)