As election season approaches for our nation at large, some HOAs might find themselves also holding elections on their own. Such elections determine who is permitted to serve on the board—proper HOA management isn’t a dictatorship, after all!
However, while our country has had centuries to get its electoral process down pat, this isn’t true for many HOAs. In fact, sometimes, a volunteer board can find electoral season rife with unforeseen stressors and troubles. There is just so much to think about! Is the voting procedure private enough? Are all board members fair? How are you to manage the additional demand of running an election on top of all you do to hold your community together? Will you even get reelected in the first place?
Breathe for a moment; Gassen, Eden Prairie providers of property management services, is here to help. Below we share what our time in the industry has taught us about HOA elections, as well as some pointers to make for a fair voting process.
What Makes an Accurate HOA Election Process?
In a word: honesty. But you knew that! Of course, you want an honest HOA election; that’s probably why you were so worried about it in the first place. Honesty means that no board members play dirty, of course, but it also means that you get as much of your community out to vote as possible, so you get an honest count of public opinion. While making sure your board is selfless should take care of the first part, convincing the community to fill out their ballots can be accomplished via the following:
● Pushing out a public awareness campaign | As much as time permits, put some effort toward getting the word out that elections are happening soon. The more creative you can get with this, the better, as a novel campaign is more likely to make a resident remember to vote.
● Making the polling place accessible | Of course, privacy for individual voters is paramount, but so is making sure the location is easy to get to and find. Nobody likes to waste time wandering the streets searching for the polling place, especially in chillier weather!
● Practicing social distancing | In today’s day and age, our unfortunate global health situation must be taken into account. If your HOA ignores it, you very likely could discourage potential voters who deem exercising their rights unsafe. If you’re married to a strictly in-person voting process, designate appropriately distanced voting stations and be sure to provide lots of hand sanitizer.
Need Help with Your Next Election? Gassen’s Got You Covered
As a provider of online property management services and accounting property management, we’ve helped countless communities run their elections. For experienced help with taming this brand of chaos, give us a call now at 952-922-5575.