How to Hold an Effective HOA Board Election
In any homeowners association, HOA Board elections can potentially become contentious, time consuming and complicated if not started off on the right foot.
Holding an effective and fair HOA Board election is an annual event that helps decide who gets the responsibility for managing an HOA’s major financial matters and property maintenance issues. It is imperative to make sure the process is efficient in choosing the most qualified association members to hold such important positions. The manner in which elections are run will make all the difference in creating a strong and thriving community.
Follow these 5 steps to ensure an fair and effective HOA board election:
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- Check your state quorum. Review all board member election guidelines in your state ahead of time, especially the number of people required to be present for an election to proceed. This will prevent from holding an election just to find you didn’t meet the requirements for number of attendees.
- One of the best ways to keep your election process on the straight and narrow – and you from running for cover – is to review your HOA’s governing documents, well in advance of the election. Check out the provisions set for running elections and setting up meetings.
- Review governing documents for member qualifications. See if there are specific candidate HOA Board qualifications a member must have to run for a position (read “Who Can Serve on the HOA Board”). At the very least, you’ll want to make sure candidates are in good standing as both a member and homeowner, since that will reflect on their ability to serve the community’s best interest.
- You will not have a successful HOA Board election, or get the elected board members off to a good start, without everyone understanding exactly how the process works —including details such as number of votes needed to win an election. Send out proxy forms prior to the meeting that include information on the candidates, the election process, as well as voting guidelines.
- Correct and timely reporting of election results is crucial. To keep the election results confidential, use a secret ballot. Open and count the votes during an official open meeting to ensure the process is honest and maintains voter confidentiality (super important!). Report the results of the election right away to attendees and board members. Lastly, make the election results public and accessible to community members within 15 days after the election occurs.
In conclusion…
A little extra time spent individually (and as an HOA board) reviewing the rules, will make for the least stressful election, and one you can be proud of! If you are still not feeling confident about holding the elections, it may be time to contact your PDS Community Manager.
