Filing. The election director shall file all ballots timely received in such a manner that, in the event of a challenge, applications can be matched with the appropriate ballot return envelopes. Securing Ballots. Until the canvass begins, every absentee ballot shall: Remain sealed in: The security envelope for Federal Write-In Absentee Ballots; or The return envelope for all other ballots; and Be placed in a secure location to which the public does not have access and stored in that location until the election has been certified and the time to challenge the election has passed.