NY Elec L § 3-220 (2021)
2021 New York Laws ELN - Election Article 3 - Election Officials Title 2 - Board of Elections 3-220 - Records and Photostats; Preservation and Sale.

§  3-220.  Records  and  photostats;  preservation  and sale.   1. All   registration records, certificates, lists, and inventories  referred  to   in,  or  required  by,  this chapter shall be public records and open to   public inspection under  the  immediate  supervision  of  the  board  of   elections or its employees and subject to such reasonable regulations as   such  board  may  impose,  provided,  however,  that  a voter's driver's   license number, department of motor vehicle non-driver photo ID  number,   social  security  number  and facsimile number shall not be released for   public inspection. No such records shall be handled at any time  by  any   person  other  than  a  member  of  a  registration  board  or  board of   inspectors of elections or board of  elections  except  as  provided  by   rules imposed by the board of elections.2.  The  central  file  registration  records  shall be kept in locked   filing cabinets in the office of the  board  of  elections  or,  in  the   appropriate branch offices of the board of elections. Such records shall   be taken from such file and handled only where necessary to make entries   thereon or take other action in connection therewith as required by this   article.  The  board of elections may cause to be made, photostatic copy   or copies of the registration poll records of registered voters  in  any   election  district  and shall cause such photostatic copies to be placed   in one or more ledgers in the same manner and in the same order  as  the   original  registration  poll  records  appear  in  the ledger or ledgers   containing the registration poll records  for  such  election  district.   Such  photostatic records shall be open to public inspection, in lieu of   the original registration records.3. Registration records which have been mutilated or voided or  which,   following  the  refusal  of  a  board  taking registrations to permit an   applicant to register, have been marked "Refused" shall be  retained  by   the  board  of elections for at least two years. Upon destruction of any   such records the board shall keep a file of the serial  numbers  of  the   records  so  destroyed. Reports of deaths shall be retained by the board   of elections for two years. In  January  of  each  year,  the  board  of   elections  may  remove from its files and may destroy the check cards of   persons  whose  registrations  were  cancelled  more  than   two   years   previously.4. Subsequent to the expiration of ten years after the receipt thereof   or, in the case of registration records, subsequent to the expiration of   two  years  after cancellation of the registration to which they relate,   the board of elections, in lieu of preserving  any  of  the  records  as   hereinbefore  provided,  may  preserve photostatic, microphotographic or   photographic film copies thereof, and may destroy the  original  records   and  is authorized to do so in accordance with the provisions of article   thirteen of the state finance law. If the board of elections maintains a   computer readable registration record for each registered  voter,  which   includes  a  copy  of the entire registration poll record or application   for registration of  each  such  voter,  the  original  poll  record  or   application for registration may, with the permission of the state board   of  elections, be so destroyed subsequent to the expiration of two years   after such copy is entered in the  computer  readable  record.  If  such   copies in the computer readable record do not include the backs of those   registration poll records which have been used at one or more elections,   then all such poll records which have been used at one or more elections   may,  with  the  permission  of  the  state  board  of  elections, be so   destroyed subsequent to the expiration of two years after such  copy  is   entered in the computer readable record, or subsequent to the expiration   of  four  years  after  the  last election at which such poll record was   used, whichever is later. 5. Any such photostatic, microphotographic or photographic  film  copy   made pursuant to this section or any such computer readable record shall   be  deemed  to  be  an  original  record  for  all  purposes  and,  when   satisfactorily identified, may be introduced in evidence in any judicial   or  administrative  proceeding.  An  enlargement, facsimile or certified   copy thereof shall, for all purposes, be deemed to  be  an  enlargement,   facsimile  or  certified copy of the original record and may likewise be   introduced in evidence if the film copy or the computer readable  record   is  in  existence  and  available  for inspection under direction of the   court or administrative agency. The introduction in evidence of  a  film   copy  or  a  copy  of  a  computer  readable  record, or an enlargement,   facsimile or certified copy thereof, shall not preclude introduction  of   the original record.6.   All  petitions,  certificates,  objections  or  papers  filed  or   deposited with a board or officer before  an  election  or  primary  and   relating  to  designations  or  nominations,  and  all registers, books,   statements, returns or papers so filed or deposited after  registration,   enrollment, election or primary at which they were used or to which they   relate,  not  including,  however, the voted, unused, protested, void or   wholly blank ballots, shall be preserved by such board or officer for at   least two years after the receipt thereof and until the determination of   any action or proceeding touching the same or in which they are  ordered   to  be  preserved pending the action or proceeding and at the expiration   of such time they may be either destroyed or sold. Lists  of  registered   voters  with  computer  generated  facsimile  signatures used in lieu of   registration poll records at any election shall be preserved  until  the   end  of the second calendar year after the year of such election. In all   jurisdictions, the original statements of  results  made  by  the  state   board  of  canvassers  or  a  county or city board of canvassers and any   original record specifying the name of a person declared  to  have  been   elected  to  a public office shall not be destroyed or sold but shall be   preserved, as part of the  records  of  such  board  or  officer,  until   otherwise provided by law.6-a.  During the period prescribed by subdivision six of this section,   no petition shall be removed from the office of the board  of  elections   for  copying  or any other purpose except while in the custody, or under   the supervision of a member or employee of such  board  or  pursuant  to   court order.7.  Upon  the  sale  of  any property authorized by this section to be   destroyed or sold, the proceeds shall be paid over as follows:  If  sold   by  the  board  of elections, the proceeds shall be paid into the county   treasury, or, in the city of New York, into the city treasury.  If  sold   by  the  clerk of a city, town or village, the proceeds shall be paid to   its fiscal officer for its benefit. Proceeds of the  sale  of  any  such   property  in  the  office  of the state board of elections shall be paid   over as provided by law with respect to other state moneys in the  hands   of a state officer.