Election question

Started by LouH1 • 4 replies • 288 views

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LouH1 (Michigan)
Posts: 214

Posted:

Our HOA has elections in November. Question, some members want to change the voting process by adding tellers. We have never had tellers. Don't they have to complete this change before the voting begins? I have read on RRO that any voting changes should precede the actual election, by months if possible. Why is that? We have a Management agency which has taken care our annual meetings with elections for years and it has gone smoothly. Would the community (I would think) have to be notified of any changes to the voting process before the actual voting began? Would they have to approve? Seems like they should as voting is a private, personal matter.

Just wondering....

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

What is a "teller" in the context of an election? (We have election inspectors and vote counters, but they're appointed at the annual meeting from among the homeowners who are not running for a position on the board. The process is open and information but still confidential since the actual ballots don't have identifying information on them.)

Why do they want to make this change? Have you had any issues in the past with the mechanics of your elections?

Offhand, I'd say you're probably too close to your election to make the change for this year. If some homeowners are hot to trot over this, I'd hand them a job. They need to investigate this idea, see what is being done in other HOAs, come up with a list of pros and cons, check on Michigan law to see what it has to say, come up with an estimated cost to implement (if any), and then make their recommendation to the board.

They'll probably talk themselves out of it once it starts to look like actual work.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

I am not sure what a teller is, but at our Annual Meeting our MC runs our election but when it comes time to count the votes the MC asks for an owner in attendance to witness the count. As our Bylaws allow nominations from the floor, and we call for such, we never know who is running until just before the election.

Now remember many of the Proxies are granted to the BOD so after the count, the MC discusses the count with the BOD and the BOD then decides how to cast its "votes". So you might ask, will that give the BOD enough votes to determine the election out come? Yes it may well, and often does.

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

With Cathy, what do your own Bylaws say? They supersede Robert's Rules. What do your state statutes say? If your HOA is incorporated, you want to review corporations code too; it supersedes Robert's. If you state has any statutes specifically for owners associations, what do they say?

CA requires inspectors of elections for all AssociationsWe must choose them a month or so before the election. They may not be running for the Board or be related or co-owners with anyone running for the Board.

MaxB4
Posts: 3,513

Posted:

A teller is a person who counts the votes in an election, vote, referendum or poll. Tellers are also known as scrutineers, poll-watchers, challengers or checkers. They are used in the United Kingdom, not the United States.

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