HOA Election FAQ

It depends on the state, community type, vote, governing documents, and complete procedure. California Civil Code §5105 permits electronic secret ballots under detailed operating-rule, notice, paper-choice, and voting-list conditions, while §5110 requires independent inspectors and specific technical controls. Florida Statute §720.317 requires a resolution, member consent, authentication, testing, secrecy, and records. vote.direct supplies roster, verification, ballot, receipt, and audit tools. Sealed ballots store each ballot with no link to the voter, built for the permanent separation §5110(c)(4)(B)(iv) requires; standard Anonymous mode keeps the link in restricted storage for vote changes, proxies, and recounts. Sources: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=5105., https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=5110., and https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0720/Sections/0720.317.html.

Upload the association's eligible-voter roster and assign each voting interest a credential. vote.direct can require email or SMS verification and accepts one ballot for each eligible credential. Assisted government-ID document checks can be arranged for additional identity evidence. The association and inspector remain responsible for ownership, delinquency rules, shared interests, voting weights, proxies, and roster corrections.

Preserve the authority, notices, roster, appointments, consent, ballot procedure, results, and platform exports, then involve association counsel. vote.direct timestamps platform events and links them with SHA-256 hashes so later changes to the exported sequence can be detected. That is evidence of what happened inside the platform, not proof that every outside requirement was met or a promise about a court outcome. California §5145 is one official example of challenge timing and remedies: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=5145..

Yes. vote.direct supports proxy voting for invite-list elections. When the organizer enables it, an eligible voter can delegate their vote to another eligible voter, and the organizer caps how many proxies a single holder may carry (1 to 10). Proxy holders are identity-verified at the election's verification level, re-delegation is blocked (a holder cannot pass along votes they received), delegations stay revocable until the holder casts the ballot, and proxy votes count toward quorum. Each proxy vote is recorded with full audit-trail attribution. Proxy rules vary significantly by state: Florida prohibits proxies in condominium board elections entirely (§718.112(2)(b)), while California requires board elections to be conducted by secret ballot, so a proxy cannot be used in place of a ballot (Civil Code §5100, §5130). Always confirm your state's rules and your governing documents before relying on proxies.

Yes. vote.direct fully supports weighted voting. When you upload your voter roster via CSV, you can include a weight column that assigns each homeowner their ownership share or percentage. When weighted voting is enabled, results are calculated using each voter's weight, so a homeowner with a 10% ownership share has their vote count as 10% of the total. The results page displays both weighted and unweighted percentages, giving your board full transparency. This is particularly important for condominiums where voting rights are often tied to unit size or ownership percentage per the CC&Rs.

After an election closes, vote.direct provides several forms of documentation. Results can be exported as CSV (detailed per-option breakdown) or PDF (formatted summary with metadata). The platform maintains a complete audit trail logging every event: vote creation, ballot issuance, voter verification, vote recording, and result tabulation, all with timestamps and a cryptographic hash chain for tamper evidence. A results certificate is available that documents the election outcome, voter participation, quorum status, and verification summary. For California associations that need to report results within 15 days (Civil Code §5120), these exports can be generated and distributed immediately after the vote closes.

California Civil Code §5110 requires one or three independent inspectors and assigns them duties including voter and voting-power determinations, proxy decisions, ballot receipt, challenges, tabulation, and results. vote.direct can provide the browser ballot, configured roster, automatic tally, and platform exports under that person’s oversight; it does not replace the inspector or independently conduct every required step. Official source: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=5110..

Set the threshold and denominator established for that vote. vote.direct compares accepted roster credentials with the configured threshold and displays a live progress meter. Organizers can see which credentials have participated and send reminders. The platform cannot decide whether a member, proxy, paper ballot, or abstention legally counts toward quorum; the association or inspector must confirm that rule.

At the current $0.82 USPS retail rate, one outbound and one return one-ounce letter for each of 150 voters costs $246.00 in postage alone. A 150-voter vote.direct election is $19.99 with email and SMS verification included. Assisted government-ID checks for all 150 voters bring the product total to $469.99 when arranged. Printing, paper choices, inspectors, staff, and legal review are separate. USPS source: https://pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index

vote.direct is designed to be accessible on any device with a web browser (desktop, tablet, or phone). No app download is required. The voting interface presents one question at a time with large touch targets (minimum 44px), keyboard navigation support, and ARIA attributes for screen reader compatibility. Voters receive a confirmation code after submitting their ballot for their records. For communities with members who are less comfortable with technology, the step-by-step ballot flow is designed to be straightforward: verify your identity, answer the questions, and submit.

No. vote.direct is not a government or public election platform and does not interface with government voter-registration or election systems. It is software for private organizations. Whether an internal result is binding depends on applicable law, the governing documents, the vote type, notices, authorization, eligibility, oversight, ballot handling, and other facts—not simply on using an electronic platform.

Yes — and you choose how strong the secrecy is. In Anonymous mode voter identity is withheld from organizers, published results, per-ballot views, and exports; vote.direct keeps the voter-to-ballot link in restricted storage so voters can change a ballot (if you allow it), proxies work, and staff can recount by roster or investigate abuse. In Sealed ballot mode the ballot is stored with no link to the voter at all: the roster records only that a member voted, the ballot carries no identifier and only the day it was cast, the confirmation code is shown once and never emailed, the audit trail names who voted but never which ballot, and the box is shuffled when voting closes. No one — not the board, not vote.direct — can tie a sealed ballot to a member or see a tally before close. Sealed ballots are built for statutes that require permanent separation (Cal. Civ. Code §5110(c)(4)(B)(iv); Fla. Stat. §718.128(2)(d), §720.317(1)(b)4.). Vote changes are unavailable in Sealed mode.

Plain email does not provide the same roster, ballot-secrecy, receipt, and event-record controls as a purpose-built ballot. Whether email, written consent, or an electronic secret ballot is authorized depends on the state, decision-maker, vote type, and governing documents. vote.direct supplies a browser ballot and platform record; it does not make an otherwise unauthorized procedure valid.

A general proxy authorizes the proxy holder to vote on the member's behalf at their own discretion on any matter that comes up. A limited (or directed) proxy restricts the holder to voting exactly as the member instructs on specific, named items. Which is allowed depends heavily on your state and governing documents: Florida prohibits proxies in condominium board elections entirely (§718.112(2)(b)), and California requires director elections to be conducted by secret ballot, so a proxy cannot replace a ballot (Civil Code §5100, §5130). When proxy voting is permitted, vote.direct lets organizers enable it per election and cap how many proxies one holder can carry.