The inspector of elections is the independent person (or firm) who confirms who may vote, receives and counts the ballots, decides challenges, and certifies the result. In California one is required by statute for every association election; several other states require a neutral third party or bar board members and candidates from touching ballots; everywhere else it is the simplest defence against a challenge. Here is who may serve, who may not, what they do, and how to find one — state by state.
This is general information, not legal advice. Statutes change and your governing documents may add rules; confirm with your association's counsel.
What an inspector of elections does
1Determine the number of members entitled to vote and each member’s voting power
2Rule on the validity of proxies (where proxies are allowed)
3Receive ballots and hear and decide any challenges
4Determine when the polls close
5Count and tabulate the votes and determine the result
6Report the result to the board and members and keep custody of the record
Three ways to appoint one on Vote.Direct
Every election page has an Inspector of elections card. The inspector gets a private page — no account — with the roster, proxies, the frozen tally after close, a signed certification, and the audit package for custody. Members see results only after the inspector certifies.
Appoint your own
A notary, CPA, county poll worker, attorney, election service, or a member who is not on the board or the ballot. Enter their name and email; they confirm their independence when they accept.
Use Vote.Direct
Where your state allows a paid voting-platform vendor to serve as the independent tabulator, we can be your inspector. Not in California — see below for why. What that engagement covers, and what it costs, is on managed elections.
Help me find one
Ask from the election page and we will introduce you to inspectors who serve your area. In California, start with the list of 26 inspectors by region. Know a good one? Sign in and nominate them so we can get them listed.
California is the strictest state: every association election, recall, assessment vote and governing-document amendment must be run by one or three independent inspectors of elections appointed by the board. The inspector controls the roster, the ballots, the count and the record. Ballots are counted in public at a properly noticed board meeting; the result is reported to the board, recorded in the minutes and made available to members within 15 days. Since 2025 (AB 2159) associations may use electronic secret ballots, with members allowed to opt out — the inspector still oversees the roster, the opt-outs, the tabulation and the results.
Who may serve
A volunteer poll worker with the county registrar of voters
A licensee of the California Board of Accountancy (CPA)
A notary public
A member of the association who is not a board member, not a candidate, and not related to a board member or candidate
A professional inspector-of-elections service engaged only for that purpose
Who may not
Board members and candidates, and anyone related to them
Anyone currently employed by or under contract to the association for compensable services other than serving as inspector — this includes your management company and, because you pay for the platform, Vote.Direct
Can Vote.Direct be your inspector in California? No.
Not available in California. Civ. Code §5110(b) says an inspector may not be anyone under contract to the association for compensable services other than serving as inspector — and your association pays Vote.Direct for the voting platform. Appoint an independent third party (a county poll worker, CPA, notary, or a member who is not on the board or the ballot), or ask your counsel about engaging an inspector-of-elections service.
Colorado does not use the words “inspector of elections”, but the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act requires ballots to be counted by a neutral third party or by a committee of volunteers who are owners, not board members and — in a contested election — not candidates. Contested board elections are by secret ballot and the results are made available to owners.
Who may serve
A neutral third party (an accountant, attorney, election service or independent tabulator)
A committee of volunteer owners selected in a fair manner at an open meeting who are not board members or candidates
Who may not
Board members and, in a contested election, candidates
Can Vote.Direct be your inspector in Colorado? Yes.
Colorado asks for ballots to be counted by a neutral third party or a volunteer committee of owners who are not board members or candidates. Vote.Direct can serve as that neutral third party.
Nevada elects boards by secret written ballot and is strict about who may touch those ballots: incumbent board members and candidates may not possess, access, open or count ballots before tabulation, and the count must happen at a meeting open to unit owners. In practice the board designates an uninvolved person or company to receive and count ballots and announce the result at the meeting.
Who may serve
A management company employee, accountant, attorney or election service who is not a candidate
Owners who are not on the board and not candidates
Who may not
Incumbent board members and candidates (until tabulation is complete)
Can Vote.Direct be your inspector in Nevada? Yes.
Nevada bars incumbent board members and candidates from possessing, opening or counting ballots before tabulation, and requires counting at a meeting open to owners. Vote.Direct can serve as the independent tabulator; the count is still announced at your meeting.
Florida condominium elections are run on a first-notice / candidate-notice / second-notice calendar (Fla. Stat. §718.112(2)(d)5.a.) and paper ballots are opened and counted by an impartial committee designated by the board. The committee itself is not in the statute — §718.112(2)(d) only sends the Division to write the rules, and the rule is Fla. Admin. Code R. 61B-23.0021(10), which defines "impartial" as a committee whose members do not include current board members, officers, candidates for the board, or their spouses. That list is closed: the rule does not require committee members to be unit owners. Online voting is allowed for both condominiums and HOAs when members consent and the system authenticates voters, protects votes from alteration, sends receipts and keeps votes available for recount; the platform performs the tabulation.
Who may serve
An impartial committee designated by the board — its members need not be unit owners, and may not be current board members, officers, candidates for the board, or their spouses (R. 61B-23.0021(10)(b))
Management-company staff, an accountant or an election service acting as impartial counters
Who may not
Current board members, officers, candidates for the board, and their spouses
Can Vote.Direct be your inspector in Florida? Yes.
Florida’s online-voting statutes require a system that authenticates voters, protects each vote from alteration and keeps votes available for recount. Vote.Direct can serve as the independent tabulator; condominium PAPER ballots are still opened and counted by an impartial committee designated by the board — its members need not be unit owners, but may not be board members, officers, candidates or their spouses.
Fla. Stat. §718.128, §720.317; Fla. Admin. Code R. 61B-23.0021(10)
Texas does not require an inspector of elections. For a HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, Property Code chapter 209 forbids a candidate (or anyone related to a candidate within the third degree) from tabulating or accessing the ballots, expressly allows anyone else to tabulate, and requires whoever does to keep individual votes confidential. Members may vote in person, by proxy, by absentee ballot or electronically. None of that reaches a CONDOMINIUM: §209.003(d) says chapter 209 does not apply to a condominium, and the Uniform Condominium Act (chapter 82) does not name who may count — §82.110 covers voting and proxies only. A Texas condominium takes its counting rule from its declaration and bylaws.
Who may serve
HOA: any person who is not a candidate or related to one within the third degree — commonly a manager, accountant, attorney or election service (§209.00594(b))
Condominium: whoever the declaration and bylaws name; best practice is a neutral third party who is not on the board or the ballot
Who may not
HOA: candidates and their relatives within the third degree (§209.00594(a))
Can Vote.Direct be your inspector in Texas if you are a homeowners association? Yes.
Texas homeowners associations run under Property Code chapter 209: no candidate (or relative within the third degree) may tabulate or access the ballots, anyone else may tabulate, and whoever does must keep individual votes confidential. Vote.Direct can serve as that independent tabulator. Chapter 209 does not apply to condominiums (§209.003(d)) — a Texas condominium gets a different answer.
Tex. Prop. Code §209.00594, §209.003(d)
Can Vote.Direct be your inspector in Texas if you are a condominium? No.
Not offered for Texas condominiums. The section that lets a non-candidate tabulate ballots — Property Code §209.00594 — sits in chapter 209, and §209.003(d) says that chapter does not apply to a condominium. The Uniform Condominium Act (chapter 82) does not say who may count: §82.110 covers voting and proxies only. So for a Texas condominium your declaration and bylaws decide, and we do not put ourselves forward as the neutral counter on a silence. Appoint someone who is not on the board and not on the ballot. We run the ballot, the roster, the notices and reminders, live quorum, the close, the tally, and the result certificate and audit package — they oversee it.
Arizona’s planned-community and condominium statutes make a secret ballot OPTIONAL, not mandatory: the completed ballot carries the voter’s name, address and signature unless the community or condominium documents permit secret ballots, in which case only the envelope does (ARS §33-1812(A)(6), §33-1250(C)(6)). Ballots, envelopes and related materials must be retained and available for member inspection for at least one year after the election. Neither statute names an inspector of elections; that requirement, if any, comes from your CC&Rs and bylaws (often a tellers or election committee).
Who may serve
Whoever your governing documents name; best practice is a neutral third party who is not on the board or the ballot
Who may not
Best practice: board members and candidates should not open or count ballots
Can Vote.Direct be your inspector in Arizona? Yes.
Arizona has no statutory inspector-of-elections requirement that we are aware of, but ballots and related materials must be retained for at least one year. Vote.Direct can serve as the independent tabulator; check your CC&Rs and bylaws for a tellers or election-committee rule.
Maryland is the newest mandatory-role state, and the rule is the same for homeowners associations and condominiums: since 1 October 2025, elections for the governing body, including the collection and counting of ballots and the certifying of results, must be conducted by independent parties who are not candidates and have no conflict of interest regarding any candidate (§11B-118, §11-109(c)(17)). Whoever conducts it owes a duty of reasonable efforts to keep the election fair and the process and results accountable. Two things make Maryland unusual: a provision of your governing documents that conflicts with the section is unenforceable and void, so bylaws cannot opt out of it, and the statute expressly allows the association to retain a third-party vendor or employ a commercial technology platform to run the election. Electronic voting itself rests on a board authorization under §11-139.2 (condominium) or §11B-113.2 (HOA), not on individual owner consent; per-owner consent is what emailed NOTICE needs, under §11-139.1 and §11B-113.1.
Who may serve
A retained third-party vendor or commercial technology platform, which the statute names outright, including Vote.Direct
A lot or unit owner who is not a candidate, does not electioneer for any candidate, and is not objected to by more than 25 percent of the eligible voting members (a sitting director who is not on the ballot can qualify)
Any other independent party who is not a candidate and has no conflict of interest regarding a candidate, such as a CPA, an attorney or a notary
Who may not
Candidates in that election
Anyone with a conflict of interest regarding any candidate in that election
Representatives of the association's property management, unless the condominium or its parent association owns the management company
Can Vote.Direct be your inspector in Maryland? Yes.
Maryland REQUIRES the election, including the collection and counting of ballots and the certification of results, to be conducted by an independent party, and a governing-document provision that says otherwise is void. The statute expressly lets the association retain a third-party vendor or a commercial technology platform to do it, so Vote.Direct can serve as that independent party: we are not a candidate, we have no conflict of interest regarding a candidate, and we are not your property management. You may also appoint your own, including a unit owner who is not a candidate, does not electioneer and is not objected to by more than 25 percent of eligible voters.
Md. Code, Real Prop. §11-109(c)(17)-(19) (condo); §11B-118 (HOA); Ch. 512, Acts of 2025
Sources: Md. Code, Real Prop. §11B-118 (homeowners associations) · §11-109(c)(17)-(22) (condominiums) · Ch. 512, Acts of 2025 (SB 758), effective 1 October 2025 · §11-139.2 and §11B-113.2 (electronic voting) · §11-109(c)(13) (call for nominations, 45 days before the election notice)
Most states do not use the term “inspector of elections” in statute. The requirement usually comes from your bylaws — tellers, judges of election, an election committee — and from the board’s general duty to run a fair vote. The safe pattern everywhere is the same: a neutral third party who is not on the board or the ballot confirms the roster, receives and counts the ballots, and signs the result.
1Read your bylaws and CC&Rs for who may count ballots and how results are certified
2Check your state’s condominium / planned-community act for ballot-secrecy, counting and retention rules
3Appoint someone who is not a board member, not a candidate and not related to either
4Have them confirm the eligible roster before ballots go out, and sign the tabulation after
5Keep the ballots, roster and tally for at least a year (longer if your documents say so)
We do not offer Vote.Direct as inspector in states where we have not verified that a paid voting-platform vendor may serve. Appoint your own, or ask us to help you find one.
Five questions to ask before you appoint someone
Are you a board member, a candidate, or related to either? (Any yes disqualifies.)
Are you paid by the association for anything else — management, accounting, legal work? (Disqualifying in California; a conflict anywhere.)
Will you review the eligible-voter roster before ballots go out, not just count at the end?
Will you sign a written certification of the result and keep the record for the retention period?
If a member challenges the election, will you be available to explain what you did?
Run the election with the inspector built in
Appoint your inspector from the election page. They get a private page with the roster, proxies, the frozen tally and a signed certification; members see results only after they certify; the certificate carries their name. If the board would rather not run the election either, we do that too — managed elections.
Call or text us and a real person picks up. Tell us what you are voting on and we will explain the setup and exact published price, even if you are not ready yet. At 1,000 voters, our regular price is at least 95% below two-way First-Class postage alone.