Quick Answer
An HOA election service takes over some or all of the work of a member vote: the roster, the notices, the ballots, the mailing, the returned envelopes, the reminders, the quorum count, the tally, the written result and the records. No two providers sell the same part of that list, so decide which jobs you are buying before you compare prices.
| Kind of provider | What it does | What it usually leaves to you | How it usually prices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online voting platform | Online ballots by email or text, a code for each voter, the tally | Notices, the calendar, paper ballots, owners' questions | Per election or per voter |
| Mail house or ballot printer | Prints, stuffs and mails ballot packets; some receive the returns | Eligibility, deadlines and the count, unless the contract adds them | Per packet, often with postage billed on top |
| Independent inspector or neutral counter | Receives ballots, rules on who may vote, counts, reports the result | Printing, mailing and software | Flat fee or hourly |
| Full-service administrator | All ten jobs below, from roster to records, under one contract | Nominations, legal advice and the election rules | A base price plus per voter, plus per packet for paper |
Two things narrow the field before price does: a statute that limits who may receive or count the ballots (several are set out below), and governing documents that require a paper ballot.
This is our reading of the statutes cited here, offered to support your own review, and it is not legal advice. Your declaration, bylaws and election rules can add requirements of their own. Confirm both with your association's attorney before you sign with anyone.
What an Election Service Does, Step by Step
An association election is ten jobs in a fixed order. A good quote names each job it covers.
- 1Roster. Load the member list, one line per voting unit with its weight, and flag duplicates and missing addresses. The board decides who may vote.
- 2Notices. Draft and send the notices your statute and documents require, on time. The board approves the wording.
- 3Ballots. Build the ballot from the candidate list and the exact motion text, weighted or cumulative where your documents say so. A starting layout is in the HOA ballot template.
- 4Delivery. Send online ballots by email or text, each with its own voter code, and mail paper packets to the members who need paper.
- 5Returns. Receive returns at one address, log each arrival, and check each envelope against the roster while the ballot stays sealed.
- 6Reminders. Remind only the members who have not voted.
- 7Quorum watch. Track returns against your quorum while voting is open, so the board learns early whether to push turnout.
- 8Count. Tally with weights, per-unit rules and cumulative votes applied, and log every rejection with its reason. The procedure is in how to count HOA ballots.
- 9Result. Write down ballots received, rejected and why, counted, quorum, and the votes for each choice, signed by the counters.
- 10Records. Keep the ballots, envelopes, roster and tally together for the retention period, then hand them to the association.
Three jobs stay with the board whoever it hires: nominations and candidate statements, legal review, and adopting the election rules.
The Four Kinds of Provider
"Voting services for HOAs", "paper balloting services" and "online voting service for associations" are searches for four different businesses. All five ways an election can be run, including the board and the manager doing it themselves, are compared in who runs your HOA election.
Online voting platforms
A platform sells software: a ballot that opens from an email or a text, a code for each voter, a tally at the close. This is usually what "digital elections for HOAs and POAs" means (a POA is a property owners' association). Run by your own volunteers it is usually the least expensive option, but the calendar, owners' questions and the members who want paper stay with the board.
Mail houses and ballot printers
A mail house prints the packets, stuffs the envelopes and mails them on a fixed date; some also receive and tabulate the returns. This is what "HOA ballot printing" usually buys. Ask whether the return envelope is prepaid, because a member who has to find a stamp often does not send the ballot back.
Independent inspectors and neutral counters
An inspector receives the ballots, settles who may vote, counts and reports the result. Bylaws call the role a teller or an election committee; Pennsylvania's statute calls it an independent reviewer. Who may serve is in the HOA inspector of elections guide.
Full-service election administrators
A full-service administrator runs all ten jobs under one contract, and some can also be appointed as the inspector where the law allows a paid vendor in that role. It suits a board with no volunteer hours left, a contested election, or a manager running many communities' elections in one season, the case in the property manager's guide to scaling HOA elections.
How Election Services Price
Four pricing models cover nearly every quote, and most quotes combine two or three.
| Model | What the price follows | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Per voter | Roster size | Whether the rate falls as the roster grows |
| Per packet | Paper mailed | Page count, and whether return postage is inside the price |
| Flat | One price for the election | What it leaves out: owners' questions, a recount, a second meeting |
| Hourly | Time spent | A cap, and who decides how long a contested count takes |
Ask for the price of the whole election, not of the platform. Return postage, logging the returns, owners' phone calls, the inspector, a recount and a second meeting after a failed quorum are the items most often left out. What a traditional paper election costs, line by line, is in HOA election cost: paper vs digital.
What vote.direct charges
Nobody in this category publishes a managed price: on the vendor pages we checked in August 2026, Simply Voting quotes managed elections through sales and AssociationVoting quotes everything past its election setup service, so a board that wants somebody else to run the vote sits through a call before it hears a number. $199 is vote.direct's published price for that work (a digital election of up to 100 voters), in public, before any call.
| Service | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Setup & Launch | From $99 | We build the ballot, load the roster, write and send the notices, and hand you a live election. |
| Full Managed Election | From $199 | Everything in Setup & Launch, then we run it: reminders, quorum, voter support, close, tally, certificate. |
| Managed + Mailed Packets | From $199 plus $6.00 per packet | A full managed election where the members who need paper get a printed packet with a postage-paid return envelope, and their returned ballots land in the same tally. |
| Managed + Inspector of Elections | From $499 | A full managed election where vote.direct also serves as your inspector of elections (Colorado, Nevada, Florida, Texas, Arizona and Maryland only). |
| 101 to 5,000 voters | Per voter, $1.50 down to 10 cents | Same scope. $199 covers the first 100 voters of a full managed digital election. Each voter after that costs less as the election grows: $1.50 per voter up to 200 voters, $1.00 up to 400, 20 cents up to 1,000, 15 cents up to 2,000 and 10 cents up to 5,000. Totals end in .99. For example, $349.99 for 200 voters, $549.99 for 400, $669.99 for 1,000 and $1,119.99 for 5,000. Setup & Launch works the same way from $99, at half of each per-voter rate. |
| Above 5,000 voters | Quoted | Same scope, priced on your roster (the platform itself is quoted above 5,000 voters) |
Each $6.00 packet includes domestic US mail, up to 4 pages, and a return envelope with prepaid postage: the packet goes out, and it comes back in an envelope that already has the postage paid on it, so the member never buys a stamp. There is no separate postage line on your invoice. A mailed ballot counts when it reaches the return address on the envelope by the close date in your notice: received by, not postmarked by, so nobody has to adjudicate a smudged postmark after the count has started. We work backwards from your close date at kickoff and give you the mail-by date to print on the packet.
To run the election yourself on the platform instead, see the self-serve pricing.
Honest question
Would you trust an online vote to decide your community's annual budget?
When the Law Requires Someone Independent
Some statutes make part of the hiring decision for you. Here is how the ones we read answer who may receive and count the ballots.
| State and act | The rule | Who qualifies, or who is barred | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| California common interest developments | The association selects one or three independent inspectors of elections | Not a director, a candidate or a relative of either, nor anyone employed by or under contract to the association for paid services other than serving as inspector. A member may serve | Civ. Code §5110(a), (b) |
| Pennsylvania condominiums with at least 500 units | Owners' votes in executive board elections go to an independent reviewer, who tallies and certifies the results. A smaller condominium may opt in by at least 51% of the votes collected | A Pennsylvania CPA or lawyer, or a vote management system (a third-party vendor running a digital or subscription election service). Not a unit owner; no immediate family relationship or shared financial interest with the declarant, an owner or the manager; any pay disclosed to owners at a scheduled meeting | 68 Pa.C.S. §3303(e)(3); §3103 |
| Pennsylvania planned communities | The same rule, but only for electing a master association's governing body, at 500 units or by opt-in | Defined in nearly the same terms | 68 Pa.C.S. §5222(e.1); §5103 |
| Texas property owners' associations | No outsider is required; the people in the race may not count | Barred: a candidate, anyone who is the subject of the vote, and their relatives within the third degree may not tabulate or be given access to the ballots. Anyone else may tabulate. Chapter 209 does not apply to condominiums | Prop. Code §209.00594(a), (b); §209.003(d) |
| Washington communities under chapter 64.90 RCW | No outsider is named; the statute takes the board and the candidates away from the ballots | Barred: incumbent board members and board candidates may not possess, be given access to, or take part in opening or counting the secret ballots, or in collecting electronic ballot data, before the count at a meeting | RCW 64.90.455(9)(c) |
| Maryland HOAs and condominiums | Board elections, including collecting and counting ballots and certifying results, are conducted by independent parties | Not candidates, and no conflict of interest regarding any candidate. The property manager's representatives are not independent unless the association owns the management company. A third-party vendor or commercial technology platform may be retained | Real Prop. §11B-118(a); §11-109(d)(17), (18) |
"Independent" means different things. California disqualifies anyone the association pays for other work, so neither the management company nor a voting platform the association pays for its software can be the inspector. Maryland expressly allows a paid vendor or platform, and Pennsylvania counts a vote management system as a reviewer.
Texas and Washington remove people rather than appoint them. In Texas a director who is not running, and not related to anyone who is, may count. In Washington no sitting director, running or not, may handle the secret ballots before they are counted at the meeting.
The scope is narrower than it looks. Until January 1, 2028, Washington's rule reaches only communities created on or after July 1, 2018 and older ones that amended their declarations to come under the act (RCW 64.90.360(2)); the list of sections that reach other older communities, RCW 64.90.365(1), leaves it out. Maryland's condominium paragraphs were enacted as §11-109(c)(17) to (22) by Chapter 512 of the Laws of Maryland 2025, and the code as published today prints them as §11-109(d)(17) to (22), after a Charles County subsection lettered (c).
vote.direct can be appointed as your inspector of elections or neutral counter in Colorado, Nevada, Florida, Texas (homeowners associations only, not condominiums), Arizona and Maryland, from $499. Not in California: Cal. Civ. Code §5110(b) rules out anyone under contract to the association for other paid services, and the association pays vote.direct for the platform. Everywhere else you appoint the inspector or neutral counter your documents call for, and we run the election underneath them. Managed elections that need our staff physically present, such as an in-person vote or count, are paused for now. Managed digital elections remain available, and so does paper: mailed ballots returned to our mail scanning address, which we tabulate remotely, and self-serve paper ballots your team prints, hands out at its own meeting and scans in.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
| Ask | A good answer | A warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Which of the ten jobs are in the price? | A written scope naming each job, and each one left out | "We handle the election," with no list |
| Where do returns go, and who opens them? | One named address, a log of arrivals, inner envelopes sealed until the count | Returns sent to a director's home |
| Is return postage in the price? | Yes, a prepaid return envelope | "Postage at cost" |
| Does a mailed ballot count when received or when postmarked? | A rule written into the notice | "We'll decide if it comes up" |
| Can you count weighted, per-unit and cumulative votes? | A test election on your roster that shows the math | "Every ballot counts as one" |
| Can you be our inspector under our state's law? | Yes or no, with the statute named | "Our software is the inspector" |
| What do we receive at the end? | A signed tally, rejected ballots with reasons, the roster used, and the ballots or electronic record | An email naming the winners |
On vote.direct a test election with up to 5 test voters is free, so the board can watch a weighted or cumulative tally come out before it pays for anything.
How Far Ahead to Book
Book before the first notice goes out. Work backward from the count: the voting window your documents set, the notice period before ballots go out, the nomination period before that, and then the provider's own lead time.
A California board election shows how long that chain can run. The general notice of the return deadline, the return address and the count meeting goes out at least 30 days before the ballots are distributed, and the ballots go out at least 30 days before the voting deadline (Civ. Code §5115(b), (c)). That puts the general notice at least 60 days before the deadline, with the notice of the nomination procedure earlier still (§5115(a)).
A managed election on vote.direct needs 10 days before ballots open. A mail house needs printing and mailing time, and an inspector should be appointed before the roster is fixed. State deadlines are in the HOA election timeline checklist.
FAQ
Q: What does an HOA election service do?
It runs whichever parts of a member vote you hand it: usually the roster, notices, ballots, mailing, returns, reminders, quorum tracking, the count, the written result and the records. The board keeps nominations, legal review and the election rules.
Q: How much does it cost to hire someone to run an HOA election?
It depends on roster size, how many members need paper and whether an inspector is required. vote.direct publishes its price: $199 covers the first 100 voters of a full managed digital election. Each voter after that costs less as the election grows: $1.50 per voter up to 200 voters, $1.00 up to 400, 20 cents up to 1,000, 15 cents up to 2,000 and 10 cents up to 5,000. Totals end in .99. Mailed packets and an inspector are priced on top.
Q: Can our management company run the HOA election?
It can do much of the work, but it may not qualify as the independent party. In California a company under contract to the association for other paid services cannot be the inspector (Civ. Code §5110(b)), and in Maryland the manager's representatives are not independent parties unless the association owns the management company (Real Prop. §11B-118(a)(2)(i); §11-109(d)(17)(iii)). In a Texas property owners' association, anyone who is not a candidate, the subject of the vote or a close relative may tabulate (Prop. Code §209.00594(b)).
Q: Can an online voting platform be our inspector of elections?
Not in California, for the same reason (Civ. Code §5110(b)). Maryland expressly lets an association retain a third-party vendor or employ a commercial technology platform to conduct the election (Real Prop. §11B-118(a)(2)(iii); §11-109(d)(18)), and Pennsylvania's independent reviewer may be a vote management system (68 Pa.C.S. §3103; §5103). Elsewhere it turns on your statute and your documents.
Q: Are voting services for condos different from those for HOAs?
The service is the same; the law can differ, because condominiums and planned communities can sit under separate acts. Texas's Chapter 209 counting rule does not apply to condominiums (Prop. Code §209.003(d)), and Pennsylvania's reviewer rule covers condominium board elections but, in planned communities, only master association elections (68 Pa.C.S. §3303(e)(3); §5222(e.1)). Tell the provider which act you are under.
Q: How far in advance should we book an election service?
Before the first notice goes out, counting back from the count through the voting window, the notice period and the nomination period. A managed election on vote.direct needs 10 days before ballots open.
The Bottom Line
Hiring an election service is buying a list of jobs. Decide which of the ten you want done, settle first whether your statute says someone independent must do any of them, and then compare prices for the whole election, return postage and recounts included.
Sources: California Civil Code §5110(a), (b); §5115(a), (b), (c). Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, Title 68, §3103, §3303(e)(3), §5103, §5222(e.1). Texas Property Code §209.003(d); §209.00594(a), (b). Revised Code of Washington 64.90.360(2); 64.90.365(1); 64.90.455(9)(c). Maryland Code, Real Property §11B-118; §11-109(d)(17) to (22), added as §11-109(c)(17) to (22) by Chapter 512, Laws of Maryland 2025. Read on November 12, 2026.
This article is general information, not legal advice. We recommend you do your own research and confirm anything you plan to act on. Where this article states law, the section is cited so you can read the primary source yourself rather than take our word for it. That is what the citations are for. Election requirements also turn on your own governing documents, which we have not seen, and statutes are amended. For advice about your community, consult a qualified attorney licensed in your state.
We work hard to verify every citation against the primary source, but laws change and errors happen. If you spot an inaccuracy, email support@vote.direct and we will correct it. See our editorial standards for how these pages are researched and checked.
