Election FAQ

Each year there are a lot of questions regarding the logistics of our annual meeting. We hope you will find the following information helpful in understanding how our election process works at this point in time.

How can I become a candidate?

If you wish to run for the board, you need to be a property owner in the Association, and you need to be nominated by ten other property owners.

A nomination form is available from the office or may be downloaded HERE. The names of people nominating a candidate must be filled out on the form.

Traditionally, you needed to get signatures from those nominating you - the office and Board will notify the membership if this requirement is modified for any reason. The person nominating you must also provide their Association property address and a phone number or an email address that can be used to validate the nomination.

The nomination form also asks for your candidate statement. Candidate statements will be printed in the voter packet that is mailed and will be placed on the association website. The rules for candidate statements are as follows:

  • Candidate statements can be a maximum of 500 words.

  • A headshot photo showing only the candidate may be included. If included it will be placed on the web site, but not printed in the election packet. Photos will be scaled to approximately 2x2 inches.

  • Other than the photo, no other graphics or images will be allowed. The default HACH website font and size will be used for all candidates.

  • Candidate statements may contain a single URL, which will be set up as a link.

  • The candidate statements will be posted on the website at the same time (or as close as technically feasible).

  • Once posted and printed, candidate statements may not be amended.

    • If a candidate desires to withdraw, we will not be able to update the ballots if they have already been printed, but we will post a notice of withdrawal on the website.

  • At the bottom of each candidate’s page there will be a disclaimer stating, “The information was provided by the candidate and content on any linked site is not managed or monitored by HACH.”

Completed nomination forms and the supporting nominations must be received by the office by the start of the board meeting one month prior to the annual meeting. Historically, this translates to 7:00PM on the second Tuesday of April. Election information will be posted at the same time the voting packet is mailed out.

How do the ballots/proxies work?

In past years we have included proxies in the election packet and homeowners had the option of returning the proxy in advance or attending the meeting and exchanging the proxy for a ballot, which was voted at the meeting.

Since we are doing vote by mail or electronic, the election packet will contain an absentee ballot instead of a proxy. Absentee ballots will count as quorum for holding the meeting itself and will count as voting quorum for the issues printed on the ballot. Absentee ballots will not count as voting quorum for issues not printed on the ballot.

Homeowners still have the right to vote by proxy. The deadline for proxy voting is the same as above for absentee ballots.

Ballots will be pre-printed with the property address and account number and a specific online code for electronic voting. Each property will receive one ballot. If you own more than one property in the association, you would get one ballot that counted as many votes as properties owned.

What is the counting process?

Ballots are not secret. Ballots are kept on file for one year after the election, allowing for an easy audit to the election results if required.

  • Ballot Arrival

    • As paper ballots arrive in the office, the office staff will look up the property address on the voter list and mark that the property has voted. If the property has already voted, the ballot will be set aside as an exception for later review. The ballot will be placed in an “Uncounted” box.

  • Ballot Batches

    • Ballots will be counted in batches by one or more counting teams. Batches will be counted between the requested ballot return date (May 10) and the date of the meeting (May 14). The last batch(s) will be counted at 7:00 on May 14th. by a single counting team. As noted above if too many ballots come in at the last minute, we may not complete the counting until late in the night or the next day. Please return your ballots by Friday, May 10th, 2024.

  • Counting Teams

    • A counting team - consisting of a “reader,” a “counter,” and an “observer” - takes a batch of ballots out of the box of uncounted ballots. The reader reads out loud the votes marked on the ballot, the counter tallies the votes on a tally sheet, and the observer monitors the process. After reading the ballot, the reader initials the ballot and places it in a “counted” pile. When done counting the batch, the counter totals the tally sheet. The reader, the counter, and the observer then sign the tally sheet. The counter will then attach the sheet to the corresponding ballots and place the batch of ballots with the tally sheet in the “counted” box.

    • Note that this method of team counting with a tally sheet is the same mechanism we have historically used to count ballots at the annual meeting.

  • Counting Rules

    • For Restriction changes you will be able to vote “Yes” or “No”. If the ballot is not marked it will be considered as “Abstain.” Once quorum is obtained, a Restriction change requires at least 75% of those voting on the issue to vote “Yes” for the change to be enacted. An “Abstain” vote excludes the ballot from counting as “voting on the issue” (for that specific issue).

    • For the director positions, members will be able to vote for up to the pre-specified number of candidates. Once quorum is obtained, a candidate must receive more than 50.1% of those voting for directors to be elected. An invalid vote (blank ballot or voting for more than directors than permitted) is treated as an abstention and does not count as “voting for a director.”

    • Paper ballots must be signed. If a ballot is not signed, it will not count toward quorum nor toward the issues on the ballot.

  • Final Tally/Results

    • After the final batch is counted, Association counsel will total the tally sheets, calculate the number of votes necessary for each issue, and announce the results. Counsel will be present in the meeting to make the announcement.

What happens after the final tally?

One of three things will happen:

1) Quorum not achieved

  • We will not have received enough ballots for quorum.

  • This is unlikely, but if it happens, we will recess the meeting and figure out how to get enough people to submit their ballots so that we can reconvene and hold the election.

2) Quorum achieved

  • While there are four open positions on the Board this year, one candidate is an incumbent.

  • The Bylaws specify that a Board member remains on the Board until they are replaced by a nominated and elected candidate. This effectively means that the Board members in the four open positions will remain on the Board. (If the one candidate is elected, they will replace themselves and replace a director. If they are not elected, they will remain on the Board).

  • The new Board will call to order a board meeting and choose the officer positions.

What are the expectations of a director?

The main responsibility of a board director is to represent the homeowners of the Association. Board positions are “at large” and do not represent specific areas of the Association.

Directors are involved in determining community standards and implementing related policy with regard to how the CC&Rs are interpreted and enforced, attending the monthly board meetings, approving building permits, and other duties outlined in the Bylaws.

Each director is also expected to abide by the HACH Code of Ethics.