Adopting an electronic voting resolution has become one of the most practical ways a Florida board can modernize its elections, trim paper costs, and give every owner an easier path to the ballot. We recently hosted a continuing education course featuring Cathi Sleight, Liz Fluharty, and Ruth Ingoldsby of Vote HOA Now, seasoned professionals in electronic voting, who guided licensed community association managers through the decisions that set a community up for a smooth transition to electronic voting.
This professional webinar examined where the authority for electronic voting comes from, how to weigh service provider options, and what belongs in a well-built resolution, along with the myths that keep some boards tied to paper.
Disclaimer: This video is for educational purposes only. You will not receive credits for watching the recording. Credits were issued only to those that attended the course.
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The authority comes straight from Florida statute, which lets condominiums, cooperatives, and homeowners associations run elections and other owner votes through an internet-based online voting system once an owner consents. Those powers sit in sections 718.128 for condominiums, 719.129 for cooperatives, and 720.317 for HOAs, with administrative rules adding further detail for condominium elections.
The grants of authority live in those three sections of the code, and a set of administrative rules expands on the condominium statute for candidate elections. The wording shifts from one place to another, so a board reading the code should watch for terms like electronic or online ballot, electronic voting, and online election, which the statutes use almost interchangeably. A few related provisions are easy to overlook, including the separate rules on notice for annual meetings and board elections and the owner date of record that fixes who is eligible to vote.
At its core, the statute says an association may conduct elections and other owner votes through an internet-based online voting system when the owner consents, either electronically or in writing, and the system meets a short list of Florida electronic voting requirements. The platform has to authenticate each owner's identity, protect the secrecy and integrity of every ballot, confirm delivery, and transmit a receipt that shows how the vote was tabulated. Candidate elections carry an extra duty to permanently separate identifying information so no one, not even management, can tie a ballot to a voter, and the system must still support a recount, inspection, and review.
One word never appears anywhere in these sections, and that word is proxy. Since owners cast their own ballots online, no proxy is required for an electronic vote, though a paper ballot mailed to an owner without email may still travel with one. This is a real shift for boards long accustomed to chasing proxies just to reach quorum.
Electronic ballots also count toward quorum, which quietly solves one of the oldest headaches in association elections. When a vote runs in the days before a meeting, and enough owners participate online, quorum can be secured before the meeting even opens, so the outcome no longer depends on how many people show up in the room. A vote that would once stall for lack of attendance can now close on schedule.
“You have the authority, based on this statute, to have your owner vote electronically, as long as they consent.” - Ruth Ingoldsby, Vote HOA Now
The service level an association chooses determines how much risk and work it takes on, and the options generally fall into two camps, a full-service provider or a self-service portal. A full-service provider runs the vote from start to finish and keeps a clean separation between the ballot and the people with a stake in the outcome, while a free portal or software add-on shifts that work, and that liability, back onto the manager and board.
A full-service provider handles the setup, builds the ballots, and manages the vote in the background, which frees the manager to focus on everything else a community needs. The bigger advantage is separation, since a true third party keeps board members, managers, and committee members out of the day-to-day handling of the vote, which matters most when a secret ballot is on the line. That distance is also what protects a board if a result is ever questioned.
When comparing full-service vendors, it helps to look for genuine industry experience, ideally a team that has managed associations and understands what a board is required to do. A United States-based provider is important as well, since Florida's statutes differ sharply from those of other states, and a partner that also teaches as it works will leave a manager better informed after every vote.
Self-service portals and management-company software are the main alternative, and their appeal is obvious, since many are free or nearly free. The catch is that a free platform often means the owner's data is the product, so a board should ask exactly what a vendor does with homeowner information before signing on. More importantly, some of these tools do not meet the statute, missing the secrecy option or the required receipt, even though an electronic vote still has to satisfy every rule.
Choosing a portal also pulls the manager, board, and committee back into the process, sometimes close enough to see how owners are voting, and leaves no third party to answer questions or stand behind the association if a challenge lands in court. More election challenges come out of Florida than any other state, so a community pushed toward a self-service tool should build a written process, follow it for everyone, and be ready to explain it. Documented consistency is the best protection when a vote is second-guessed.
“We know that there are some management company software add-ons that don't have the secrecy requirement. We know that there are some self-service portals out there that don't allow you to have a secrecy option. Are they sending that receipt? Are they meeting all those requirements?” - Cathi Sleight, Vote HOA Now
The resolution is the board-adopted document that authorizes electronic voting and spells out exactly how the association will run it, which is why it deserves careful attention. A board creates and adopts it at a properly noticed meeting, and for condominiums the decision is essentially permanent, since once e-voting is offered it cannot be taken away, even though the association can change vendors or refine the resolution later.
A strong resolution starts with the kinds of meetings the association will hold, whether in person, fully online, or the hybrid format most communities now prefer, and it should describe how virtual meetings and paper ballots will work side by side. It should also set the timeline, such as a minimum of fourteen days of open voting, along with clear notice deadlines and a firm cutoff for the call for candidates. Sketching that timeline first makes the rest of the resolution far easier to write.
There is no need to wait for an election on the calendar to begin, and starting early, even a year or two ahead, gives a board time to get the language right with its attorney, who often has a template ready. Quorum requirements deserve special care, since the threshold for a candidate election can differ from the one for a membership or amendment vote, and those item votes sometimes run for ninety days while an election lasts only two or three weeks. Some boards keep the resolution lean and place the finer mechanics in a companion rule, which works well as long as both documents stay consistent.
The people best suited to run the setup are neutral parties with no stake in the result, most often the management and administrative staff who already hold current owner information. In a self-managed community, committee members who are not running for a seat can fill that role while preserving the same separation. Whoever takes it on will field owner questions, prepare the owner data, review and approve the ballot before it goes live, and gather the final reports for the meeting.
Reviewing the ballot in advance is not a formality, since a careful eye can catch a label that should not be there, such as a title next to a candidate's name when the rules forbid any hint of incumbency. Reconciling paper and electronic ballots is just as important, so the provider should supply a list of who has already voted online before any paper ballot or proxy is opened. When both methods are in play, the electronic vote is treated as the final word, and delinquent owners are removed at the close if the governing documents require it.
“They're a neutral party with no ownership in the association. They can field those homeowner calls, help with voting.” - Liz Fluharty, Vote HOA Now
Most of the resistance to electronic voting rests on a handful of myths that fall apart under a closer look, from worries about older owners to doubts about ballot secrecy. Clearing them up early tends to be the difference between a board that stalls and one that moves forward with confidence.
The belief that seniors cannot or will not vote online is the most common myth, and the data does not support it. Recent figures show the vast majority of American adults are online, including a large share of those over eighty, and many older owners already bank, shop, and manage their lives on a phone. Choosing a platform with a clear, simple process removes most of the friction boards worry about.
The few who still hesitate can be won over with a little hands-on support, such as a voting night or an appointment at the office to cast a ballot with help. Those small gestures turn a reluctant owner into a participant and build goodwill around the new option.
Another persistent worry is whether an electronic ballot is truly private, and the honest answer is that it depends entirely on the platform. The statute requires secrecy for candidate elections, but some software add-ons and free portals do not deliver it, so a board should confirm the secrecy feature is real before trusting it. The same caution applies to signatures, since bylaws often require one, and a capable vendor captures a valid electronic signature to confirm each voter's identity.
Weighted and par-value voting raises a similar question for communities where a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom unit do not carry equal votes. A good electronic system handles those calculations automatically, which spares the manager the error-prone task of tallying fractional votes by hand and often saves an hour or more on meeting day.
Few associations hold an email address for every owner, and that gap stops many boards before they start, yet it is easily managed. Communicating the change early and asking owners to share a current address steadily fills the list, and voting certificates are becoming a common way to capture both the opt-in and the preferred email at once. Owners who never provide a certificate are still included, using whatever address is already on file, so no one loses the chance to vote.
The goal is simply to give every owner the same opportunity, whether they vote online or on paper. Starting the outreach months ahead of a vote leaves plenty of time to gather addresses and answer questions before the first ballot goes out.
The associations that succeed with electronic voting are the ones that treat it as a disciplined process rather than a one-time switch. A well-built resolution, the right service partner, and a clear plan for paper, proxies, and reconciliation turn a nerve-wracking election into a predictable routine that authenticates results instantly and hands owners a receipt for every vote. Since the process improves with each cycle, the strongest boards revisit the resolution every year, refine what did not work, and prepare for whatever the next meeting brings. Handled that way, the move online stops being a gamble and becomes a steady tool for higher participation, lower costs, and a duly elected board a community can rely on.
Check the governing documents first, since many spell out a tiebreaker. When they are silent, common options are a runoff between the tied candidates or a simple coin toss, and sometimes one candidate agrees to step aside and serve on a committee instead. Writing the chosen method into the resolution avoids a scramble on meeting day.
Yes. When an association accepts a ballot sent by email rather than through a secure voting platform, the secrecy protection is lost, and owners must be told they are waiving it. That trade-off is one reason a dedicated online voting system is usually the cleaner choice.
The association can still run a quorum-only vote so owners can approve items like the prior meeting
minutes and keep the meeting valid. If seats remain unfilled, the board may extend the call, seek nominations, or appoint an eligible owner at a later meeting. An appointed director typically serves one year, then can be duly elected at the next election.
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Ashley Dietz is the VP of Marketing at Campbell Property Management and has led the company’s educational and marketing initiatives since 2013. A Florida Atlantic University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communications, Ashley specializes in community association education, digital outreach, and industry engagement for Florida HOAs and condominiums.