HOA Board Elections: Tips on Holding Effective Meetings

Holding an effective HOA board elections is important to establishing strong leaders and a successfully driven community. Board members and officials hold important roles in the decision making process in HOAs, and therefore it is essential that the election process ensures that the most qualified members are elected. Making careful decisions on budgets, projects, and other changes in the community is crucial in running a smooth community, and therefore board elections should be prepared and run in an effective manner. Here are a few tips for holding a good HOA board election:

Follow the rules. The most important thing to do in these elections is to follow the set provisions of your HOA's governing documents, which includes rules on how to set up meetings and the details of running these elections properly. These rules can vary from state to state so it is important to remain updated on any changes that may have been made. In addition, following the stated rules is important in understanding how the election process works and the number of votes a member must win by in order to be elected.

Send out proxy forms. Sending out proxy forms before the meeting with information on the election and the candidates running for the election, along with stating the guidelines that members must follow in the voting process. Sending out these forms before the meeting is a good way to ensure that members are involved in the election and that the election can proceed with the right number of votes.

Check for a quorum. It is also important to check the quorum in order to know how many people must attend in order for the election to be able to proceed. Check your state’s guidelines on the election process beforehand, so that you don’t go ahead with the election without the right number of attendees.

Determine candidates’ qualifications. Based on the HOA’s governing documents, there may be specific qualifications that a candidate must meet in order to be qualified to run for an officer or board position. They must be cleared as a homeowner and member in good standing, assuring that they are reliable and trustworthy members of the association.

Results should be kept confidential. Voting should be done by a secret ballot that ensures confidentiality, and then the votes must be counted in an open meeting. Opening votes in an open official meeting ensures members that the election process adheres to voter confidentiality and is run honestly.

Promptly report results. After the election ballots are counted, the results should then be immediately reported to the board and attendees of the meeting. The overall results of election must be publicly open to the membership within 15 days of the election.