To secure their contents, the ballot boxes should be re-sealed, with all the ballots considered during the count inside, before returning the box to a local secure storage room. This measure is very important in case of a recount.
In certain jurisdictions (see Vote Counting in Burkina Faso, Vote Counting in Ghana and Counting Ballots in Sweden for a tangible country case), forms such as count sheets, the voting record book, and the voters' list are also sealed in the ballot box along with the ballots. The statement of the vote should not be sealed with the other documents, but should be put in a separate envelope and attached to the outside of the ballot box. However, this envelope should itself be sealed in order to make sure that no unauthorized person has access to the results and that any changes that are attempted can be detected by higher authorities. A copy of the statement of the vote should already have been transmitted to the electoral management body separately from the ballot box before the ballot box is moved for secure storage. Many systems require delivery of all materials to the responsible authority.
The question of whether or not the voting record book should be sealed in the ballot box, or placed with the statement of the vote, is an important one. If the voting record book is used to record transactions that fall outside ordinary voting, then it can be useful to have it available for inspection upon the demand of the electoral management body without having to go before a judge (which is the case in some jurisdictions). Also, the voting record book can be useful to the electoral management body when the time comes to do the official count. Access to it will help to understand any mistakes that have been made regarding the preparation of the statement of the vote, or other procedures related to vote counting.
Also, since representatives of political parties and candidates are allowed to witness the official count, they could consult it as well. In any case, the voting record book is an important document, and should be safely kept, sealed in the box, or placed on the outside of the ballot box in the envelope with the statement of the vote.
Ballots (and envelopes where applicable) should be placed in bundles, by category (candidates, rejected ballots, spoiled ballots, unused ballots, etc.) in the ballot box. Once all the ballots and relevant forms are in the box, the box may be sealed and transported to the local storage room. The seal number, if applicable, should be written on the statement of the vote or on the acknowledgement of receipt of the ballot box when delivered to the local storage place.
Even if all the envelopes or plastic bags are sealed, it is still important to re-seal the ballot box before it is moved. Once again, in the event of a recount, all these documents are needed which explains why elaborate precautions for sealing the ballot box are important.
If a paper seal is used, for additional security, some jurisdictions require that the ballot box seal be signed by the poll officials and/or poll workers as well as representatives of political parties/candidates/options.
