Elections Code section 15630
(a)
All ballots, whether voted or not, and any other relevant materials, as specified in regulations adopted by the Secretary of State, may be examined as part of any recount if the voter filing the declaration requesting the recount so requests in writing, specifying the relevant materials before the commencement of the recount.(b)
The examination of any ballot shall not include touching or handling the ballot without the express consent of the elections official or the elections officer supervising the special recount board. A ballot shall not be touched or handled during the examination unless the elections official or the elections officer supervising the special recount is present to observe the examination.(c)
Except as provided in this section, a ballot shall not be touched or handled by any person during the recount unless that person is the elections official, a person acting at the direction of the elections official, a member of the special recount board, or by order of the superior court.(d)
No part of the voting system in use by the elections office shall be accessed, touched, or handled by any person during the recount unless that person is the elections official or authorized by order of the superior court.(e)
A person shall not photograph or distribute a digital image of any material with personal identifying information of the voter.
Source:
Section 15630, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=ELEC§ionNum=15630. (updated Jan. 1, 2026; accessed Dec. 15, 2025).
