(Newswire.net — October 28, 2021) —
If you live in a community operated by a homeowners association, there could be changes coming to how the voting process works. Passed in 2020, the Davis-Stirling Act in California now requires HOA-run communities to elect their officials through a third-party system.
Why the Changes to HOA Elections?
While the new law is effective to homeowners in the state of California, any HOA runs into issues with favoritism and nepotism. Your neighbor wants to vote for their friend or colleague to be an HOA official. Or maybe the director of the HOA has a friend who they want to bring to the association to help cut costs on various services. In both scenarios, a sense of favoritism exists and can create bias, which makes it unfair for the residents of the community. It’s important for an HOA to have completely unbiased officials elected to the board.
This is only a legal constraint in the state of California, but it is likely more states will adopt this concept.
What Do Homeowners Associations Need to Do?
Pursuant to the new law in California, HOA leaders need to hire an inspector of elections. This service provider will administer the entire election process from letting the residents know of the election date and time, collecting the ballots, counting the ballots and letting the residents know of the election results. Because this individual is a third party who is independent of the HOA, they can provide completely unbiased results.
What Does An HOA Inspector of Elections Cost?
The cost to hire this individual will be dependent on a few factors. First and foremost, the cost is based on the number of residents in the community. For instance, if the community has 50 homeowners, the inspector of elections will need to spend time communicating with all 50 homeowners. Conversely, if a community has 7 homeowners, the time requirement will be much less.
It’s best to reach out to an inspector of elections for a quote. You may also wish to contact a few 3rd party election inspectors to get a range and then pick the best option for your community.
How Long Do HOA Elections Take?
A common question asked by HOA officials is how long the process will take from communicating to community members to announcing the election results. Most election processes will take at least 3 months to fully complete. Be sure to give your community plenty of time to elect its officials. Additionally, try to get on the HOA election inspector’s schedule as soon as possible.
What Do Community Members Need to Do?
If you belong to an HOA community, you need to vote. HOA directors choose services for a community and put your monthly dues to work. The services may include landscaping, gardening, paving roadways, fixing problems with concrete, etc. By voting for unbiased HOA officials, you can help the community put collective funds together to benefit the neighborhood as much as possible.
Keep an eye out for emails or a letter in the mail from your current HOA directors about the election process. It is their responsibility to let homeowners know when it is time to vote.
By following the Davis-Stirling Act, HOA communities can vote in unbiased individuals and make the most of their community.
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