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Getting out the vote!

Started by JenniferG11 • 15 replies • 737 views

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JenniferG11 (Texas)
Posts: 667
Posted:
What methods have you used to do so? This year, we did not meet quorum. It will cost about $250 to do another mail out, then we have to wait two weeks to do it again, and whatever number of people vote this time (likely even less than the 24% we got the first time) will decide the election.

Not a huge tragedy, but looking to next year, I would like to compile ideas to get people interested.

RichardP13 (California)
Posts: 3,868
Posted:
Eliminate quorum for the election of directors.

Problem solved!
JenniferG11 (Texas)
Posts: 667
Posted:
Quote:
Posted By RichardP13 on 06/28/2018 11:12 PM
Eliminate quorum for the election of directors.

Problem solved!

LOL, well, state law mandates no lower than 10%. Can't eliminate it, but in essence our process eliminates it if it isn't met on the first try. We adjourn the meeting, send out another mailer, and however many people show up or turn in proxies at the second one two weeks later constitutes a quorum.

(PS we would need 51% to amend the by-laws to say the lowest per state law at 10%. That is more trouble and expense than how that plays out, and it's not what we want. We want to get people interested).

RichardP13 (California)
Posts: 3,868
Posted:
I lived in a HOA with 317 homes. Our quorum requirement was a majority of 159. We could adjourn to a new meeting IF the attorney allowed it) with only 25% or 80. The largest vote count in 10 years was 39 votes, so no ballots were opened for 10 years.

I re-wrote the bylaws, with an attorney's help and got them passed in less than 6 months with 240 affirmative votes.

Set your mind to it and you can do it.
JenniferG11 (Texas)
Posts: 667
Posted:
Quote:
Posted By RichardP13 on 06/28/2018 11:46 PM
I lived in a HOA with 317 homes. Our quorum requirement was a majority of 159. We could adjourn to a new meeting IF the attorney allowed it) with only 25% or 80. The largest vote count in 10 years was 39 votes, so no ballots were opened for 10 years.

I re-wrote the bylaws, with an attorney's help and got them passed in less than 6 months with 240 affirmative votes.

Set your mind to it and you can do it.

Before you changed it, how did you have a board not opening ballots?

RichardP13 (California)
Posts: 3,868
Posted:
Can't open ballots until quorum is reached.
GeorgeS21 (Florida)
Posts: 3,808
Posted:
Lack of quorum is a huge time and money issue! "Apathy Thy Name Is Lackaquorum"

Best way I've found is via proxy - and the ease of this depends on the neighborhood, type, size, age demographics, etc. Door to door - hire someone to do it and add into the dues - have a signing party - something that will motivate or punish via dues increases.

Changing Bylaws could be by visiting each property owner ... perhaps even hiring someone to do that so they end up paying for their failure to attend meetings, etc.

RichardP13 (California)
Posts: 3,868
Posted:
Quote:
Posted By GeorgeS21 on 06/29/2018 8:19 AM
Lack of quorum is a huge time and money issue! "Apathy Thy Name Is Lackaquorum"

Best way I've found is via proxy - and the ease of this depends on the neighborhood, type, size, age demographics, etc. Door to door - hire someone to do it and add into the dues - have a signing party - something that will motivate or punish via dues increases.

Changing Bylaws could be by visiting each property owner ... perhaps even hiring someone to do that so they end up paying for their failure to attend meetings, etc.


If you were running for a political office, is this how you would treat a voter that didn't vote?
AllumW (Florida)
Posts: 68
Posted:
I walked door to door on 3 different streets to explain we needed representation or they can fill our the proxy form. We also had a Spring Fling with free food and games and they had to fill out the forms to get food tickets.

We were still short by 29.
KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550
Posted:
CA HOAs have had mail in secret ballots since about '06, so our HOA always has enough votes (quorum is usually 56) of 200+ eligible.

A drawing for a nice dinner for two at a nearby popular restaurant from among all voters might be an incentive. In our HOA, it'd be a drawing from among all outside envelopes (the ballot's in the inside envelope) which have the voters' names on them.
GeorgeS21 (Florida)
Posts: 3,808
Posted:
Richard,

Apathy is everywhere - while we are all conscious of the need to be politically thoughtful, if there are folks who are so apathetic they endanger the community, I will consider every why possible - carrot or stick.
ArtL1 (Florida)
Posts: 140
Posted:
I went door to door for about 3 months collecting proxies. We made quorum and the election was a land slide

Anyone implemented electronic voting? If so, does it really help with "voter turn-out"?
BancsS
Posts: 269
Posted:
Quote:
Posted By RichardP13 on 06/28/2018 11:12 PM
Eliminate quorum for the election of directors.

Problem solved!

Great solution! Works very well in my HOA.
JenniferG11 (Texas)
Posts: 667
Posted:
Quote:
Posted By ArtL1 on 06/29/2018 4:23 PM
I went door to door for about 3 months collecting proxies. We made quorum and the election was a land slide

Anyone implemented electronic voting? If so, does it really help with "voter turn-out"?

I come across a lot of 'articles' saying it does, which turn out to be ads for an electronic voting system. One actual article on that laid out the pros and cons and it seems expensive and I don't think it would cure apathy here.

It's already easy - we can simply sign and email to the manager. Give a proxy to a neighbor.
JenniferG11 (Texas)
Posts: 667
Posted:
Quote:
Posted By GeorgeS21 on 06/29/2018 2:26 PM
Richard,

Apathy is everywhere - while we are all conscious of the need to be politically thoughtful, if there are folks who are so apathetic they endanger the community, I will consider every why possible - carrot or stick.

I understand where you are coming from. I personally would favor carrots.

RichardP13 (California)
Posts: 3,868
Posted:
The closest thing to an HOA election would be municipal elections. I used to live in Los Angeles. 33% of the people would vote for a first time mayor, 14% if they were an incumbent. For City Council, even worse. 16% if they were a new councilperson and 6% if they were an incumbent. For most, these numbers would not come close to reaching quorum, but all the votes get counted.

In an election of over 100 units, reaching a majority generally poses a problem, from my experience, and worst if they don't have a reduction in quorum. High percentage quorums favor the people sitting on the Board up for re-election. Just can just sit pat and do nothing.

First time this ever happened in one of my HOA's. In April we had an election for 97 unit. Number of ballots turned in needed was 49. They received 48 by the time polls closed. 17 people attended the meeting. They had a provision that the people present could vote to adjourn the meeting whereas quorum would be cut in half. We already had that. BUT, the people present voted 10-7 to not adjourn and keep the Board intact. Needless to say, there were some pissed off people. Someone knew the language of the Bylaws and stacked the deck.

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