The pandemic provided an opportunity for HOA online voting to come into its own. It’s an incredibly useful tool for community associations. Find out the top 3 benefits below.
Covid-19 & HOA Online Voting
Any resident that lives in an HOA has the right to participate in democratic decision-making. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made it practically impossible for HOA’s residents and board members to meet and vote on important issues. But let’s be honest here, voting has always been a tough process, long before the pandemic burst. COVID-19 has just accelerated the existing HOA online voting trend.
In fact, many HOAs have decided to switch to online voting to avoid the exhaustion of preparing the ballots, delivering them to residents, ensuring they’re returned on time and counting/recounting them manually. HOA online voting allows not only to save time but also to reduce costs and increase participation. In this “new normal” world that we’re living in, it is also the best way to respect the state’s health guidelines.
1. HOA Online Voting Saves Time
As mentioned above, the traditional HOA voting process is highly time-consuming. The time and energy invested are huge and when a vote doesn’t reach quorum then all this investment is wasted. This can really take a toll on board members but also on residents who wish to participate but can’t.
By offering online voting, you can increase who can participate, and reduce errors. So snowbirds or absentee owners can vote easily and efficiently online. Their vote can’t get lost in the mail, because virtual voting is more reliable.
2. HOA Online Voting Reduces Costs
In addition, one of the goals of board members is to keep maintenance fees low. Holding an in-person vote can rapidly become costly with all the designing, printing, and postage. The money saved by introducing HOA online voting could be invested in other maintenance or improvements that are important to your residents.
3. HOA Online Voting Can Be Done Anywhere
Being able to vote whenever, wherever tremendously increases the participation rate. That means that HOA online voting increases quorum. This is the minimum percentage of residents who need to participate. This minimum is set by the community’s association bylaws. Using an online voting tool allows residents who don’t live in the community to vote without having to rely on a proxy or a mailed ballot.
Other Benefits
These are the top 3 benefits, but there are others:
- Ensuring the confidentiality of voters
- Providing accurate results quickly
- Get statistics and reports
Before You Start
Before you get excited and think that it’s the solution to all your problems, remember that your HOA needs to follow its bylaws and state laws. Over 20 states have amended their laws to authorize HOAs to vote online. These include Virginia, Texas, Maryland, and South Carolina. Here’s an example of state law regarding electronic elections: 2015 Florida Statutes regarding Electronic Voting.
Conclusion
If your state allows online voting in HOAs, it is well worth looking into, as it brings a whole host of benefits. It helps with a lot of issues that regularly appear during elections. These include not hitting quorum, ballots getting lost, costing a lot of money and time.
To learn more about elections, download our HOA elections timelines.
