How long do we keep election ballots in Indiana? 22 months.
22 months after the election, then destroy or transfer. Voted ballots, ballot administration records, and election administration records all share the same clock on the County Clerk retention schedule, and a federal statute runs the same clock on its own.
- Voted ballots (CL 23-01)
- Destroy 22 months after the election for which the records were produced, or transfer to a state educational institution
- Ballot and election administration records (CL 10-30, CL 23-02)
- Destroy 22 months after the election for which the records were produced
- Unused ballots (CL 10-31)
- Keep one regular ballot per township and one provisional ballot per precinct for the County Election Board minutes; destroy the rest after the recount petition filing deadline
- The federal layer
- For any election with a federal office on the ballot, 52 U.S.C. 20701 independently requires 22 months of retention
The short answer: 22 months, then destroy or transfer
In Michigan, this question has two answers depending on what was on the ballot. Indiana gives one. On the schedule that governs county election records, the ballots themselves carry a single clock:
Non-Judicial County Clerk Retention Schedule (CL); approved by the Oversight Committee on Public Records 10/25/2023.
Official PDF on in.govTwo things in that sentence do real work. First, the anchor: the clock runs from the election for which the records were produced, not from certification or from the end of the year. Second, the alternative: instead of destruction, a county may transfer voted ballots to a state educational institution. That option is unique to this series; the neighboring election records get destruction only.
The neighbors on the same schedule
Ballots do not travel alone. The paperwork around them, from absentee ballot applications and tally sheets to poll lists and voting-system chain of custody records, sits in two companion series with the identical clock:
Non-Judicial County Clerk Retention Schedule (CL); approved by the Oversight Committee on Public Records 10/25/2023.
Official PDF on in.govNon-Judicial County Clerk Retention Schedule (CL); approved by the Oversight Committee on Public Records 10/25/2023.
Official PDF on in.govThe one election series that does not run on 22 months is the ballots nobody voted:
Non-Judicial County Clerk Retention Schedule (CL); approved by the Oversight Committee on Public Records 10/25/2023.
Official PDF on in.govThe printed schedule keys that series to IC 3-6-5-13(c). The logic is visible in the rule itself: unused ballots matter only as evidence of what was printed and as material for a possible recount, so one copy per township and per precinct goes into the Election Board minutes and the rest wait only until a recount petition can no longer be filed.
Why 22 months: the federal layer
The number is not arbitrary. Federal law, 52 U.S.C. 20701, requires that records relating to an election that included a federal office on the ballot be preserved for 22 months. That is a federal statute operating on its own; it applies whether or not a state schedule says anything, and it would control even if the state clock were shorter. Indiana set its election series to the same period, which is why the numbers match: in a federal election year, one clock satisfies both layers, and the county never has to sort records into federal and non-federal piles the way some states do.
Who actually holds these records
Every series quoted above comes from the Non-Judicial County Clerk Retention Schedule (CL). In Indiana, election records run through the circuit court clerk and the County Election Board, so the retention decisions belong at the county level. The practical guidance for everyone else: a city, town, or township clerk who finds ballots, poll lists, or other election paperwork in their own files should coordinate with the county clerk before destroying anything. The county knows whether a recount, contest, or request is pending, and an office that is not the custodian should not be the one running the destruction clock.
When the clock runs out
Hitting 22 months does not mean quietly emptying a shelf. For scheduled records past retention, Indiana’s workflow is destroy, then document: file State Form 44905, the Notice of Destruction, with the County Commission of Public Records, with a copy to the Indiana Archives and Records Administration (IC 5-15-6-2.5(d)). And no destruction happens while the records are tied to a pending recount, contest, audit, or records request. The full process, including what changes for unscheduled records, is in our guide to Indiana retention schedules.
If you also work across the state line: Michigan splits this question into 22 months for ballots with federal offices and 30 days for state and local ballots, while Indiana keeps everything on the 22 month clock; the Michigan rules are quoted in the Michigan edition of this post.
Dekree runs this workflow for Michigan local governments today: election records filed against their retention series with the destruction date computed from the election. We are bringing the platform to Indiana next. If you want it in your office, email contact@dekree.ai with the subject line Indiana and we will add your office to the Indiana rollout list.
Common questions
How long does an Indiana county keep voted ballots?
Twenty-two months. Under item CL 23-01 (Voted Ballots) on the Non-Judicial County Clerk Retention Schedule, approved by the Oversight Committee on Public Records on 10/25/2023, the county destroys voted ballots twenty-two (22) months after the election for which the records were produced, or transfers them to a state educational institution. Ballot administration records (CL 10-30) and election administration records (CL 23-02) carry the same 22 month clock.
Why is the Indiana ballot retention period 22 months?
Because federal law runs the same clock. 52 U.S.C. 20701 requires that records relating to an election that included a federal office be preserved for 22 months, and that requirement applies on its own regardless of any state schedule. Indiana set its election series to the same period, so one clock satisfies both layers. For an election with a federal office on the ballot, the federal requirement would control even if the state schedule said something shorter.
What happens to unused ballots after an Indiana election?
They have their own rule, item CL 10-31 (Unused Ballots): retain one copy of the regular ballot for each township and one provisional ballot for each precinct for inclusion in the County Election Board minutes, then destroy the remaining ballots after the filing deadline for a recount petition. The printed schedule keys this series to IC 3-6-5-13(c). Unused ballots are the only series in the group that does not run on the 22 month clock.
Our town or township office still has election paperwork. Can we destroy it?
Coordinate with the county first. The election series quoted here live on the county clerk retention schedule, and election records in Indiana run through the circuit court clerk and the County Election Board, not the town or township office. As practical guidance, a town or township clerk who finds ballots or election paperwork in their files should contact the county clerk before destroying anything, and nothing tied to a pending recount, contest, audit, or records request should be destroyed while that matter is open.
This article is educational information for Indiana public agencies, current as of the publication date. It is not legal advice, and statutes and court decisions change. Confirm specifics with your agency attorney. Statute text: iga.in.gov.