Are your association’s governing documents woefully outdated but the voting threshold required to approve amendments to update your documents so high that it seems you can never make the changes necessary to bring them into the modern age? Is your community in need of improvements or modernization but you are unable to get owner participation in a vote required to approve alterations or improvements?
One of the biggest challenges facing community association boards is getting members to vote on matters that may help improve the governance or operation of the Association or enhance the value and appeal of the property. Low voter turnout can make it difficult to move forward with measures and projects that will help modernize the way your community operates, or even how it looks. In this article, we will explore strategies to boost voter turnout.
- Communication is Key. Oftentimes, owners do not vote because they do not realize the importance of the measure that they are being asked to approve. If your community’s governing documents are seriously outdated and your association is proposing amendments, communicate to the owners why the amendments are important to them, and explain how the current documents are lacking when it comes to issues and matters that are important to the community. Highlight issues that have arisen in the community that have caused owner frustration for which the current documents fail to provide a remedy of resolution and how an amendment can address the issue. It is not uncommon for owners to be afraid of change, which may result in their failure to vote. By communicating how changes will benefit them, owners will be more likely to turn out to vote.
- Communicate Early and Often. Owner participation is crucial for the success of any association vote. It is not uncommon to hear that owners learn about voting measures for the first time when they receive notice of the membership meeting at which the vote is being considered. If your association has an important voting measure in the works, discuss the voting item early (and often). For example, if your community is proposing a renovation project to substantially improve the clubhouse, hold informational meetings to present and discuss the proposed improvements. Discuss the project at board meetings and membership meetings before a vote takes place. Make proposed plans and renderings of the project available on the association’s website so that owners have ample opportunity to hear and learn about the project before they receive a proxy soliciting their vote.
- Engage Owners. The success of any voting measure requires owner “buy in.” Unfortunately, there are owners that are hesitant to approve of any actions that are recommended solely by the board of directors. To overcome owner speculation, getting owners involved in a project may provide a sense of ownership, which may serve to increase owner participation. If your community is considering amending and updating your governing documents, for instance, ask owners to serve on a document update committee. If you are planning renovations or improvements to the community facilities, solicit owner involvement via a committee that makes recommendations to the board. Involving owners in projects that will ultimately require membership approval may provide a sense of “ownership” that may lead to increased voter turnout.
- Provide Voting Options. Electronic voting (or e-voting) has been an option for community associations in Florida since 2015. If your board of directors has not already adopted a resolution to authorize electronic voting, contact your association’s attorney to discuss the procedure required to make e-voting available. If your association already offers electronic voting, it is important to recognize that there are owners that may not be comfortable with technology and that may be reluctant to vote online. Contact your electronic voting vendor to see if they have any “how to” videos or a help-desk option that may help familiarize owners with the online voting process. Consider holding e-voting workshops where owners can get hands-on instructions on how to vote electronically. For those owners that are not comfortable with e-voting, explain what a proxy is, why proxies are used, and instructions on how to properly fill out a proxy. Provide various options for submitting ballots or proxies, such as hand-delivery, scanning and emailing voting materials, or consider including self-addressed stamped envelopes for owners to return their votes. If your community does not have a drop box, consider providing one so owners can deliver their ballot after-hours. The law also authorizes boards to adopt a “remote voting” resolution which allows owners to vote by logging into a video platform, such as Zoom, and verbally cast their vote as if they were in person at the meeting. If remote voting is something that your board wishes to offer, contact your association’s attorney to discuss the proper procedure and resolution to be adopted.
- Make Voting Easy to Do and Impossible to Forget. Once a membership vote has been scheduled, make sure to remind owners to vote. In addition to the required notices, post friendly reminders about the membership vote in community newsletters or in email blasts. If there are board meetings or social events planned before the membership vote takes place, have proxies available for owners in attendance. Hold a social event during the voting window where owners can drop off their proxy in advance of the membership meeting at which the vote is taking place.
- Grassroot Efforts. Don’t be afraid to use “grassroot” efforts to increase voter turnout in your community. Encourage owners to walk around the community and talk to residents about the importance of voting, or to provide proxies to neighbors that have not voted. In communities where knocking on doors is discouraged, consider having owners call neighbors, friends, or residents to encourage them to cast their vote.
