The Truth about Online Voting Webinar
The shift to Florida online voting has given condominium and homeowners associations a faster, more transparent way to reach quorum, seat their boards, and settle the questions that used to stall at the annual meeting. We recently hosted a CEU course featuring Cathi Sleight and Liz Fluharty of Vote HOA Now to help LCAMs and board members separate what the statutes actually require from the myths that still cling to electronic voting.
This important webinar traced how associations move from paper ballots to a compliant online voting system, covering the Florida statutes that grant the authority, the service levels boards can choose from, who should run the process, and the transition that lifts owner participation.
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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Key Takeaways
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The Statute Grants Authority: Florida has allowed association e-voting since 2015, and every electronic ballot counts toward quorum the moment an owner submits it.
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Match the Service Level: A full-service provider runs the vote and shields staff from the tally; a self-service portal shifts that compliance work onto the manager.
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Email Voting Waives Secrecy: Voting by email is the least expensive option, but it surrenders ballot secrecy, since whoever tallies the results sees how everyone voted.
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Participation Climbs Over Time: Owners receive a receipt confirming their vote, associations skip door-to-door proxy collection, and turnout rises as members learn to trust the system.
Is Online Voting Legal in Florida?
Florida law has expressly permitted associations to conduct elections and other owner votes through an internet-based online voting system since 2015. The authority sits in the state statutes and, in many communities, in the governing documents as well, so the first move for any board is knowing where that authority comes from before a single ballot goes out.
The Statutes Behind Electronic Voting
Electronic voting for community associations became law in 2015, and the Florida electronic voting statute appears as Section 718.128 for condominiums, Section 719 for cooperatives, and Section 720.317 for homeowners associations. Each chapter reads a little differently, yet they share most of the same requirements, and a layer of administrative code in rule 61B-23 adds detail for condominium elections that is worth folding into an association's own procedures. HOA electronic voting and condo voting also differ from voting by email, which follows a separate set of rules that surprises many boards.
Consent, Secrecy, and the Voting Receipt
Before an owner can vote electronically, that owner has to consent, either electronically or in writing, and most Florida providers gather those opt-ins as part of the process rather than mailing paper forms. Once someone opts in, the choice holds until they opt out, and the statute puts real safeguards around what happens next. A qualified system must authenticate each owner's identity, keep every ballot secret, confirm that the invitation to vote was delivered, ensure the vote is not altered in transit, and send each voter a receipt showing exactly how the ballot was cast.
Why Reaching Quorum Gets Easier
The single biggest advantage written into the law is that every electronic vote counts toward quorum the instant it is submitted, which helps associations reach that threshold far faster than paper ever allowed. Once a board authorizes online voting, a condominium must honor an owner's request to keep voting electronically in later elections, so the decision to start carries a commitment to continue offering it. The association also has to give owners notice of the option and adopt a resolution with reasonable procedures and deadlines for consent.
“No one, not anyone, should be able to see how anyone voted. The key to that person's vote is that receipt that they are receiving.” - Cathi Sleight, Vote HOA Now
Electronic Ballots Versus Email Voting
A newer option lets owners return an electronic ballot by email, and it is genuinely different from voting through an online voting system. This path is open to any Florida association, but it carries trade-offs a board should weigh carefully before choosing it.
A Lower-Cost Path
Voting by email does not involve a third-party platform, so the association simply designates one email address where every completed ballot is returned. An association that has already adopted electronic voting through a provider cannot switch to the email method without revisiting that decision, which makes this route most common in very small communities. It is the least expensive path, though the savings come with added responsibility for whoever manages the inbox.
The Secrecy Tradeoff
Every owner who returns a ballot by email waives the right to a secret vote, because the person opening the inbox necessarily sees each owner's name alongside their choices. That person keeps the running tally, so the association must make sure owners understand and accept the loss of secrecy before the vote begins. Each email ballot also has to include the owner's name and unit number, a typed first and last name that stands in for a signature, and the specific statement the state requires in capital letters.
Choosing a Service Level
The most consequential decision a manager and board will make is which service level fits the community, so it helps to understand the options before comparing prices. Online voting service levels for condominium and HOA communities in Florida generally fall into a full-service model on one end and self-service portals or management software add-ons on the other.
Full-Service Providers
A full-service provider handles the vote from start to finish, freeing the manager from collecting paper ballots and running the mechanics of the election. Setup is usually light, often finished in less than half a day, and the arrangement preserves third-party separation so the manager and board never see the tallies while voting is open. A dependable provider also stays involved after the vote, ready to support any challenge, recount, inspection, or review that follows.
Self-Service and Software Add-Ons
Self-service portals and management software add-ons are popular largely because they look free and convenient, but they move the entire compliance burden onto the manager, who must follow every statutory step and document the process. These tools rarely provide third-party separation, and it is difficult to find one that offers the ballot secrecy Florida requires for electronic ballots, a safeguard that does not apply to email ballots. A free product often carries a hidden cost as well, since the platform may be collecting owner emails and other data loaded into the system.
What to Look for in a Vendor
Choosing an online voting vendor comes down to fit with the association's world rather than price alone. The strongest partners know the community association industry, understand how governing documents interact with Florida statute requirements, and bring real condo and HOA management experience to the table. A vendor that provides genuine third-party separation keeps the manager and board cleanly outside the counting process, which matters most if the results are ever questioned.
“What is the platform doing with your owner's data? What is their privacy policy or their security policy?” - Liz Fluharty, Vote HOA Now
Setting Up the Vote
A smooth election depends on deciding early who will run the process and writing down the rules the association intends to follow. Two pieces do most of the work, a single point of contact and a written resolution.
Naming a Single Point of Contact
Most associations designate one person, often the manager or an administrative staff member, to serve as the single point of contact for the vote. That choice makes sense because staff are the record keepers; they hold the association's owner data, and they can tie each homeowner to the correct unit while staying neutral about the outcome. Electronic voting does not make community committees obsolete either, and committee members frequently help coordinate the process and answer owner questions.
Writing the E-Voting Resolution
A resolution should be built with the association's counsel and management company and must track both the statutes and the community's own meeting and election procedures. Practical items belong in it, such as sending paper proxies only to owners who did not opt in, which trims costs and cuts down on duplicate ballots. After the first cycle, the board should revisit the resolution, add any steps that were missed, and review it every year so the process stays current as boards and managers change.
More Than the Election
An annual election is the obvious use for online voting, but it is far from the only one. Bringing several decisions onto a single ballot saves money and reaches owners while they are already engaged.
One Ballot, Many Questions
A single electronic ballot can carry the director election alongside approval of last year's minutes, budget ratification, special assessments, loan approvals, and amendment votes such as changes to the governing documents. The full text of a proposed bylaw or covenant change can be loaded directly onto the ballot, letting owners open it and read the exact language before they decide. Bundling also creates a chance to build authenticated lists, such as asking owners whether they would like to receive future notices electronically.
Dates, Candidates, and the Owner of Record
Condominium administrative code sets a minimum voting window of fourteen days, and paper and electronic ballots should share the same start and end dates so results arrive together. Candidates appear in alphabetical order by last name, the ballot cannot label anyone an incumbent, and no write-ins are allowed once the call for candidates has closed. An owner of record date determines who may vote in an election, but that date does not apply to amendment or other membership votes, where a change in ownership during the voting window is handled by adding the new owner and removing any vote the prior owner already cast.
“Electronically, you can reach them more often than you can by paper.” - Cathi Sleight, Vote HOA Now
Voting Your Community Can Trust
The associations that get the most from online voting treat it as a disciplined process rather than a one-time experiment, grounded in the statutes, the governing documents, and a clear resolution that everyone can follow. When a board chooses the right service level, names a reliable point of contact, and communicates early so owners have time to opt in, the payoff shows up as stronger owner participation, faster quorum, and a duly elected board the whole community can stand behind. Handled that way, the move from paper to digital stops being a leap of faith and becomes a dependable part of how a well-run community governs itself year after year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we still offer paper ballots after adopting online voting?
Yes, owners who prefer a paper ballot or a paper proxy can still request one, and the association has to keep those options open. Sending paper proxies only to owners who did not opt in helps cut cost and confusion while honoring that right.
What happens if an owner votes online and then returns a paper ballot?
The electronic vote should stand. Stating on the ballot that all electronic votes are final keeps a later paper ballot from overriding the choice already recorded.
How do we ensure one vote per unit when a home has multiple owners?
Assign one primary voting email per unit and apply that rule consistently, such as using the first owner listed on the deed. Settling this before voting opens prevents duplicate ballots and the questions that follow them.
Explore Florida Association News (FAN) for timely legal updates, helpful resources, and practical guidance for community associations.
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.
