ELEC § 18579

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, any person who seizes or causes or assists in the seizure of ballots, election records, or certified voting technology or any portion thereof, before election results are certified pursuant to Section 15372, is guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16 months or 2 or 3 years.

(b) Any person with authority who directs one or more other persons subject to their supervision or authority to engage in the conduct prohibited by subdivision (a) shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for two, three, or four years.

(c) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

(1) “Seize” and “seizure” mean the removal from the custody and control of authorized elections officials, as specified in subdivision (d) of Section 15551, except as provided by Sections 15553 and 19230.

(2) “Certified voting technology” has the same meaning as defined in Section 17600.

(3) “Election record” means any document or record that is or will be subject to the preservation requirements in Section 17300 to Section 17306, inclusive.