Civic Engagement Commitments for HOAs
Nine out of 10 condominium and homeowners association residents vote in national, state, and local elections, according to the 2020 Homeowner Satisfaction Survey conducted by Zogby Analytics for the Foundation for Community Association Research. Since homeowners associations function by electing leaders as board members, this fact shouldn't come as a surprise.
Residents living in homeowners' associations tend to be more civic-minded and engaged with community governance. According to the Foundation's research, 2.4 million residents volunteer to serve on community association governing boards or committees.
What is #CAIvotes?
Community association residents expect to wield significant influence in the November third general election. To get residents voices heard and their votes counted, the Community Associations Institute launched #CAIvotes. This free resource allows voters to check their registration status, search and find elected officials, learn more about local and state representatives, and request an absentee ballot.
The executive director of the Foundation and CAI's senior vice president of government and public affairs, Dawn M. Bauman, CAE, weighs in on the issue. She says that "the 73.9 million Americans living in community associations look to their federal, state, and local policymakers to consider the policy positions important to homeownership, home values, and inspiriting diverse, friendly, healthy, and safe communities." She continues to say, "Whether the issue is financial sustainability, delivery of municipal-like services, energy efficiency disaster assistance, or mail delivery, CAI's goal is to educate policymakers on the community association model of housing."
At Condominium Associates, we believe in being as transparent as possible when it comes to HOA voting. Below are some reminders that will benefit your elections this fall.
Voting Methods
Authorizing various voting methods in HOA elections and other related matters are typically standard protocol. Among those options are secret ballot, ballot, proxy, and different, but similar voting procedures. Which option is used in a particular association will be based upon what the homeowners association's bylaws allow and applicable state law that dictates how such matters must be handled.
The secret ballot is a method that does not reveal the voter's identity, and hence the voter remains anonymous. Another option is simply a written ballot with the voter's name or other identification on it. It is more of a standard form ballot. Voting by proxy is when individual voters give their right to vote for another voter to be cast if a voter cannot be present at an HOA meeting.
Do Renters Have Voting Rights?
Typically, tenants who are renting properties governed by a homeowners' association are not entitled to any rights to vote in elections of the community. The legal right to vote in such membership elections is generally vested with the property's legal owner.
Challenging an Election
Several things could invalidate election results in an HOA. Those items include failure to give proper notice as required by the bylaws, fraud in the voting process (for example, a forged ballot or inability to count appropriately cast ballots), or a lack of quorum. The bylaws might also be another reason to invalidate election results.
Sometimes to carry out a challenge to the election results, members must petition the court in the jurisdiction in which the association sits. The exact process will vary by state, but in general, it is necessary to challenge such an election in court, unless another method is available.
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Condominium Associate’s is here for you! Contact us today if you have any questions about the upcoming board member meetings.
