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Poll body backs 16-month retention of ballots
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Posted on Jan 28 2005
The Commonwealth Election Commission wants counted ballots discarded 16 months from election day, rather than retaining them for four years.
CEC executive director Gregorio Sablan said the commission has proposed an amendment to election regulations that will lower the retention period for counted ballots for practical reasons.
The proposed amendment, which appears in the latest issue of the Commonwealth Register, also states that the commission may permanently dispose of the ballots after 16 months.
“We see no reason why we should keep the ballots for 48 months. It’s a concept that we started in the beginning, and it proved to be not very practical,” Sablan said.
He pointed out that four years is too long a time to retain ballots, as elections can only be contested within 30 days after the election results are certified.
He added that since he took over the commission in 1999, there has been only one occasion when an individual wanted to see the ballots.
Further, CEC’s ballot boxes are just enough for the polling places throughout the Commonwealth. The commission has no extra boxes in which to store old ballots.
“We’re just being practical about it. Sixteen months after an election is just about the right time to dispose of old ballots, because that’s usually when we get new ballots for the next election,” he said.
According to existing regulations, counted ballots must remain segregated and identified as counted ballots from each particular precinct. Then, the ballots must be segregated in a portion of the counting center, and they are to be guarded by at least two people, while tabulation is ongoing.
The election commission is also required to retain the actual ballots for 48 months from the date of the election. The commission may only dispose of the ballots after 48 months.
