D.O. from Franklin County, Ohio writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
We are preparing for our annual board meeting. We have a Board that consist of mainly career directors. This year, you have to request your proxy via mail. They then mail the proxy to you. After you vote you drop it off to a designated owner that will account for it at the annual meeting. You also must register to attend the meeting. A lot of the owners have decided they are not going to attend due to all the formalities. We also did not receive bios of the candidates. Just pictures. Is this the normal way to handle proxies and the election? This is my first time voting.
Mister Condo replies:
D.O., welcome to the world of the voting association member! Your vote matters and it is your voice into who and how the association is run. I wish there were an easy answer to how things are “normally done”. COVID-19 has really taken a toll on all of us and that is also true at the association level. Registering for meetings, virtual meetings, electronic voting, etc. have all become the “new normal”. That being said, a picture of a candidate is nice if you are simply holding a popularity contest but a bio should be required so that other unit owners know a bit more about the candidate other than they have a face! Of course, if they are running unopposed, it might not make much difference because they don’t have any competition. This is what usually leads to “career” directors. If you have an interest in serving your community, you might just throw your own hat in the ring next time around. As COVID restrictions loosen, there are more associations going back to in-person meetings. My guess is that stricter adherence to protocols such as publishing bios of candidates will also return. If enough homeowners don’t attend or register to attend electronically, the association might not make quorum. In that case, previously elected Board members may have their terms extended and last year’s budget may be used as this year’s budget. Let’s home for a return to normalcy soon. All the best!
I’ve noticed a big change with electronic voting. I think for many associations, it has gotten confusing, and may take a few years to get an ideal set up and work out the hiccups. Ours forgot to have nomination forms they informed everyone would be forthcoming, and never did, we have no idea if there could have been potential candidates. Then when posted the ballot, left off a candidate, then posted a new ballot and left off the bio for one, and everyone else’s was included. They immediately started electronic voting for weeks, and candidates did not have any time to go around and meet and greet with people before voting started, which put new candidates at a disadvantage compared to incumbents. They also had no proxies. And they doubled down on how great it was.