There are over 370,000 homeowners association (HOAs) in the country, which shows the popularity and success of HOA. There are close to around 55% of households that come under HOA, which is a planned group or organization that enforces laws and ensures that residents get all the modern facilities and amenities.

People who purchase a house within an HOA community automatically become members of HOA and not only can play a part in the development of the community but raise issues that need to be resolved. Most of the HOAs are incorporated, which means the association has to follow the state rules and regulations regarding community living and the rights of the homeowners.

The Significance of HOA Community

The state of California is known for having many homeowner associations, and there are specific rules and guidelines that each HOA has to follow. The first HOA was formed in Los Angeles to provide upscale housing and living to the urban population. A homeowner has to pay a fee known as the ‘HOA fees’ to avail of the amenities and also abide by the HOA rules. Failure in compliance with any rule or violation of any set guideline can lead to monetary fines.

The HOA is governed by a board of directors that consists of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The management of a large homeowner association is divided into three categories which are financial, onsite management, and full management. The board of directors is elected through a voting procedure that is held every year in an annual meeting.

The governance of HOA is done democratically, which means a president is elected for a particular time period and gets replaced by another member of the HOA and not by his/her family members or acquaintance. The HOA elections follow a voting process where each candidate gets a fair chance of becoming a board member.

The Role of HOA Election Inspector

The crucial role in the HOA elections is played by the HOA inspector who supervises and manages every aspect of HOA elections from ballot services, the voting process to announcing the results. As a homeowner within the HOA community, you become a member of the HOA and participate in the HOA governance and can not only participate in HOA elections but run as a candidate for the board of directors.

Third-party services are rendered to not only manage the HOA election process and make it free from any influence or biasness. HOA inspector of elections California is the person who performs all the management tasks from ballot printing, devising rules and guidelines to election day duties that include setting the time of voting, collecting and counting the ballots, and announcing the results.

An election inspection is usually a neutral person and can be anyone from a voluntary poll worker to a notable person of the city to any member of the HOA who is not related to either the current board of directors or a candidate contesting for the position in the board of directors.

The things Election Inspector should consider

The core of any democratic procedure is conducting a free and fair election, and HOA is no different. The key considerations that the election inspector must keep in mind are

• Set the rules and guidelines for the voting and election process

The first and foremost step of any managing elections is laying down the rules to ensure to everyone that free voting and election will take place. The election inspector must know about the HOA election rules that are defined in the ‘Governing Documents’. Some of the rules that bring clarity to the election process are

• How many votes are needed from the HOA members to complete a quorum
• Who is eligible to vote
• When will the HOA community notified about the elections
• How many votes are needed to complete the election of the board of directors

• Let the community know about the elections

The HOA community should know about the HOA elections, their voting rights, and eligibility to participate for the position in the board of directors. Apart from voting for the board, there may be voting on major projects and other initiatives. The community must be notified well before the election takes place to prepare and even share their feedback and suggestions. The critical task of the election inspector is to send the candidate nomination forms so that a resident can submit the form as a candidate. Allowing residents to contest as candidates widen the scope for the board.

• Notifying the HOA community about the rules

The election inspector must let the community residents know who can run for a seat on the board and which members are allowed to vote. Many times, residents who are not members show up on election day and complicate the voting process. Any resident who lives in an HOA community can become a member and a candidate for the board, given that he/she does not have any outstanding debt to pay.

• Document everything

The election inspector must not only follow the documents but also make a note and record every task and action that is taken. The ballots should be on paper, and electronic voting should also be allowed, along with votes sent through the mail.

• Coordinate with the HOA management committee

The election inspector must be careful to avoid one mistake of not ensuring the proper quorum for the HOA election. A quorum is the minimum number of members required to present for the voting process. The governing document says that almost 10% of HOA members must be present. If the quorum does not have the presence of minimum HOA members, any vote that is cast will be invalid, and the election is rescheduled for another day and date.

An accredited HOA management company is consulted and employed by most HOAs due to their growing popularity and success in conducting a free and fair election. The HOA management company provides a wide range of services from not only handling the voting process of election day but also legal assistance and violations agreement. An election inspector has the task of giving every member a chance to vote and that votes are collected and counted fairly. The election results must be part of a record if some objection is raised on the neutrality of the election process.