§ 3-222. Preservation of ballots and records of voting machines. 1.
Except as hereinafter provided, removable memory cards or other similar
electronic media shall remain sealed against reuse until such time as
the information stored on such media has been preserved in a manner
consistent with procedures developed and distributed by the state board
of elections. Provided, however, that the information stored on such
electronic media and all the data and figures therein may be examined
upon the order of any court or judge of competent jurisdiction or may be
examined at the direction of a committee of the senate or assembly to
investigate and report upon contested elections of members of the
legislature voted for by the use of voting machines utilizing such
electronic media and such data and such figures examined by such
committee in the presence of the officer having the custody of voting
machines and electronic media.

2. Voted ballots shall be preserved for two years after such election
and the packages thereof may be opened and the contents examined only
upon order of a court or judge of competent jurisdiction, or by
direction of such committee of the senate and assembly if the ballots
relate to the election under investigation by such committee, and at the
expiration of such time, such ballots may be disposed of at the
discretion of the officer or board having charge of them.

3. Except as hereinafter provided, packages of protested, void and
wholly blank ballots, open packages of unused ballots and all early
mail, absentee and military, special federal, special presidential and
emergency ballots and ballot envelopes, if any, opened or unopened,
shall be preserved for two years after the election. Sealed packages of
unused ballots shall be retained for four months, and may then be
destroyed, provided a certificate articulating the election district
identifying data and numbers of such ballots is filed with the balance
of ballots described in this section, for the balance of the two year
retention period. Except as hereinafter provided, boxes containing voted
paper ballots, if any shall be preserved inviolate for four months after
the election, or until one month before the next election occurring
within five months after a preceding election if such boxes are needed
for use at such next election and if the officer or board in charge of
such voted paper ballots is required by law to furnish ballot boxes
therefor. Provided, however, that such ballot boxes and such packages
may be opened, and their contents and the early mail, absentee and
military, special federal, special presidential and emergency ballots
and ballot envelopes may be examined, upon the order of any court or
justice of competent jurisdiction. Boxes and envelopes containing early
mail, absentee, military and emergency ballots voted at a general or
special election, for the office of member of the senate or assembly,
packages of void, protested and wholly blank ballots, unopened early
mail, absentee and military ballot envelopes and the packages of unused
ballots, in connection with such election, also may be opened, and their
contents and such envelopes also may be examined, by direction of a
committee of the senate or assembly to investigate and report on
contested elections of members of the legislature. Unless otherwise
ordered or directed by such a court, justice or committee, such boxes
shall be opened and their contents and such packages and the envelopes
containing voted ballots and ballot envelopes shall be destroyed, at the
expiration of the period during which they are required by the
provisions of this section to be preserved, except that instead of being
destroyed, they may be sold and the proceeds paid over in the manner
provided with respect to the sale of books, records and papers
pertaining to an election.

4. All records and documents pertaining to ballot label programming
and ballot label programming data for any election for any voting
machine of a type approved after September first, nineteen hundred
eighty-six and all records pertaining to the periodic maintenance
testing of any such programming and programming data or the testing of
any such machine in connection with any such election shall be preserved
for two years after such election.