Since 2015, Association’s have been able to enter the digital age and offer online voting for unit owners. Any board member who has struggled to get a quorum at an important meeting, or enough proxy votes to pass an amendment, should be jumping for joy over this option.
Online voting can be used for any of the following types of votes:
- Elections of board members
- Approving amendments to the documents
- Approving material alterations
- Approving special assessments
- Waiving or reducing reserve funding
- And pretty much anything else the association needs to vote on during the year.
If your association wants to enable electronic voting, there are specific steps that must be followed:
- Adopt a resolution to allow for electronic voting. 14 day notice is required.
- Each unit owner that wants to vote electrically must “opt in”, or give written consent.
- Specify a method to “opt out” if the owner wishes to do so.
In 2016, the Division released its specific rules on what is required for electronic voting, which includes a method to verify the identity of each owner, and a method to ensure they vote only once. There are now several companies out there who offer voting packages, often with other database options included (think ways to track maintenance orders or vehicle information).
Benefits of Online Voting
- More inclusive. Online voting allows unit owners who don’t live in the community, or even in the country, to be able to vote. The current mailing requirements don’t always allow sufficient time for voting materials to get to non-resident owners to vote and send them back.
- Cost savings. Eliminates the copies, envelopes, and postage of physical mailings.
- Deters fraud. Much harder for unit owner to turn in fraudulent ballots. The system is handed by a third party, so there’s no fear of someone throwing out a ballot, or adding a fraudulent one.
- ncreased owner participation. Associations that have already implemented online voting are seeing a significant increase in unit owner participation. No more fighting to get those votes!
Other Benefits
Many of the firms offering online voting solutions also offer other options to assist associations in management of their day to day operations. These other options include things like a portal for unit owners to make maintenance requests (and the manager & board to review them), track license plates and car sticker information, and many other day to day tasks, letting you eliminate all those pesky spreadsheets most associations currently use. Other great benefits for unit owners: Community news features, community directories, virtual yard sales, calendar of events – all kinds of useful communication tools.
Interested in this for your community? Contact us for more information
