(1) Except as provided for in subsection (2) of this section, all the evidence in any contest provided for in this chapter will be returned by the presiding officer, or his designee, to the secretary of state and will be preserved in the office of the secretary of state.
(2) Any ballots or poll books, other than copies, will be returned by the presiding officer to the secretary of state, who will return them to the office of the county auditor in which they were first required to be filed.