§1312. Retention of ballots at registrar's office

            A. All absentee by mail ballots, early voting machine results reports, early voting verification forms, early voting machine public counter logs, and early voting confirmation sheets, shall be retained in the office of the registrar of voters except as otherwise provided in this Chapter.

            B. All absentee by mail ballots which are received timely shall be removed from the mail return envelope, if applicable; shall be arranged by ward and precinct and placed and retained in a special, secure absentee by mail and early voting ballot container designated and used only for that purpose; and shall be delivered to the parish board of election supervisors to be counted and tabulated as provided in R.S. 18:1313.

            C. After the tabulation of the absentee by mail and early voting ballots on election night, the board shall replace the absentee by mail ballots, early voting machine results reports, early voting verification forms, early voting machine public counter logs, absentee by mail and early voter reports, and early voting confirmation sheets in the special, secure absentee by mail and early voting ballot container and return the container to the registrar of voters. The registrar shall retain the special, secure absentee by mail and early voting ballot container inviolate until the delay for filing an election contest has lapsed, or, if an action contesting the election has been filed, until the judgment in the action becomes definitive.

            D. Except as otherwise provided in R.S. 18:1308.1(C) and 1311(D)(1) and (5), all mail ballots received on or after election day shall not be counted, but shall be endorsed with the day and hour of receipt, shall be kept unopened for six months, and then shall be destroyed. Any absentee ballot received by mail or facsimile not the first received from the voter shall be treated as provided in this Subsection.

            E. Absentee by mail ballots, early voting machine results reports, early voting verification forms, early voting machine public counter logs, early voting confirmation sheets, absentee by mail and early voter reports, applications for absentee by mail ballots, certificates, and other absentee by mail and early voting ballot paraphernalia associated with an election shall be retained as provided in R.S. 18:403, unless litigation is pending relative to such election. If litigation is pending relative to such election, such paraphernalia shall be retained in accordance with any applicable court order and until the litigation is concluded.

            Acts 1976, No. 697, §, eff. Jan. 1, 1978. Amended by Acts 1977, No. 513, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1978; Acts 1980, No. 506, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1981; Acts 1981, No. 475, §1; Acts 1985, No. 754, §1; Acts 1985, No. 755, §1; Acts 1986, No. 669, §1; Acts 1988, No. 909, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1989; Acts 1992, No. 438, §1, eff. June 20, 1992; Acts 1994, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 10, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1995; Acts 1999, No. 254, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2000; Acts 2001, No. 1181, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2002; Acts 2005, No. 220, §1, 4, eff. Jan. 1, 2006; Acts 2013, No. 395, §1, eff. June 18, 2013; Acts 2023, No. 91, §1, eff. June 6, 2023.