(a) An election officer responsible for delivering precinct election returns or voted ballots commits an offense if the officer:
(1) fails to make the delivery to the appropriate authority;
(2) fails to make the delivery by the deadline prescribed by Section 66.053(c); or
(3) fails to prevent another person from handling in an unauthorized manner the returns or voted ballots that the officer is responsible for delivering while they are in the officer's custody.
(b) If the officer is an election clerk, it is an exception to the application of Subsection (a)(2) that the election clerk did not receive the returns from the presiding judge in time to permit a timely delivery.
(c) An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.