A condominium association’s election rules start in a different place than an HOA’s: your master deed or declaration typically sets each unit’s voting weight, and it isn’t always one vote per unit – larger or higher-floor units can carry more voting power depending on how percentage interests were assigned when the building was built. Add in developer turnover elections and shared-building decisions that get voted on the same way as director elections, and the fundamentals of running a condo election that holds up look similar to an HOA’s on the surface but have their own details worth getting right.
What Makes Condo Elections Different
Two things trip up condo boards that HOA guidance doesn’t usually mention. First, voting weight: many declarations assign votes by percentage interest in the common elements rather than one vote per unit, so a board has to confirm exactly how votes are allocated before assuming a simple headcount works. Second, developer turnover: most state condominium acts require a mandatory transition election once a set percentage of units have been sold – often somewhere in the 75-90% range depending on the state – moving control from the developer’s appointed board to the unit owners. Getting a turnover election right matters more than a routine annual one, since it’s the vote regulators and attorneys are most likely to scrutinize later.
Quorum and Secret Ballot Basics for Condo Boards
Quorum and secret ballot requirements work the same way they do for any community association: your governing documents and state’s condominium act set the threshold, and failing to meet it is still the most common reason an election has to be redone. Where condos differ slightly is scale – buildings with dozens or hundreds of units sometimes have quorum requirements written for a much smaller association, and boards that haven’t updated their bylaws in years can be working off a number that no longer reflects reality.
Electronic Voting for Condo Associations
Electronic voting law applies to condo associations the same way it applies to HOAs, but a few states regulate condominiums and HOAs under separate statutes, so it’s worth confirming which one actually governs your building (our state-by-state election law guide covers the states we hear about most). California’s Davis-Stirling Act, for example, covers both condominium and planned-development associations, with electronic voting provisions that took effect January 1, 2025.
Why Associations and Management Companies Work With Vote HOA Now
Most condo election vendors sell ballots and a portal, then leave the turnover election, the percentage-interest voting math, and the state-specific compliance questions to you. Our team includes former community managers who’ve actually run these elections, we’ve worked directly with attorneys across multiple states on exactly this kind of building-specific voting question, and we were part of the effort that got California’s electronic voting law passed. Our continuing education courses are accredited by CAMICB, Florida’s DBPR, and Illinois’s DFPR – the same agencies behind the CAM, CMCA, PCAM, and LCAM designations your managers already hold.