How to run an HOA board election online

Board elections are where HOA drama goes to multiply. The fix is a process homeowners can see and trust: clear notice, a fair ballot, and results everyone can verify. Here's the playbook.

1. Check your bylaws first

Before anything else, read your association's election rules: required notice period (often 10–30 days), quorum, whether electronic voting is permitted, and who's eligible. Some states (California's Civil Code §5100–5145, for example) have specific HOA election requirements — if yours does, follow those over any general guide, and consider a formal inspector of elections for board seats.

2. Collect candidates the boring way

Announce the open seats, set a nomination deadline, and list every qualified candidate exactly as submitted. Neutral, alphabetical-or-random presentation prevents the "why was Karen listed first?" email thread — our polls shuffle candidate order per voter automatically for exactly this reason.

3. Use ranked choice for multi-candidate races

With three or more candidates, plurality voting regularly elects someone most homeowners voted against. Ranked-choice voting fixes this: owners rank candidates, and instant-runoff counting guarantees the winner has majority support. It also eliminates "wasted vote" politics between similar candidates — common when two neighbors run on the same issue. (New to it? Plain-English explainer here.)

4. Give owners a real voting window

A week is typical. Set the deadline when you create the poll so late ballots are rejected automatically, send the link with your notice, and send one reminder two days before close — reminders roughly double turnout. Voters need no account: open the link, rank, done.

5. Announce results with the receipts

Share the live results link, not a summary email. Homeowners can see the round-by-round instant-runoff count for themselves — who was eliminated, where their votes transferred, and the final majority. Transparency is what ends election disputes before they start. For contested elections, export the full ballot data (CSV) for your records.

Set up your election in minutes

Free for up to 100 voters — enough for most single-building and small-community associations. Larger community? A one-time $19 Pro upgrade covers 2,500 voters with private results and CSV export.