As far as I know... Thechnically it is illegal to remove trash from a dumpster or garbage can. It is considered the property of whomever's property the trash can is on until it is picked up by the trash company where it is then transferred as their property. However... Ballots need to be retained for X amount of time in original condition and if destroyed is now evidence of ballot tampering and can be secured by any individual citizen or officer until it can be obtained and processed.
This isn't true - once it is put out for disposal, you lose rights to what's inside. That's why so many private eyes and investigations go through people's trash - they willingly gave up ownership of what's inside by putting it in a trash can or dumpster:
Note that when a person discards trash, they have no "reasonable expectation of privacy" in the discarded items, which means that the police can search through the trash without first obtaining a warrant.
However if the dumpster or garbage bin is still in an enclosed area or is on private property, a person could be cited for trespass or even for theft if they try to rummage through the garbage.
As far as I know... Thechnically it is illegal to remove trash from a dumpster or garbage can. It is considered the property of whomever's property the trash can is on until it is picked up by the trash company where it is then transferred as their property. However... Ballots need to be retained for X amount of time in original condition and if destroyed is now evidence of ballot tampering and can be secured by any individual citizen or officer until it can be obtained and processed.
This isn't true - once it is put out for disposal, you lose rights to what's inside. That's why so many private eyes and investigations go through people's trash - they willingly gave up ownership of what's inside by putting it in a trash can or dumpster:
https://www.findlaw.com/injury/torts-and-personal-injuries/dumpster-diving.html
https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/is-dumpster-diving-illegal.html
My son is a PI - he’s and expert at analyzing trash.