Free template

HOA Election Ballot Template

A ballot has to do three things: let the owner vote clearly, let the association verify that the owner was entitled to vote once, and keep the vote secret where the state requires it. The two-envelope method does all three: the ballot goes in a blank inner envelope, which goes in an outer envelope the owner signs with their home address.

This template is the ballot itself. Pair it with the annual meeting notice and, where the bylaws allow, the proxy form.

Download the PDF

When to use it

The election of directors at the annual meeting
A vote on an amendment, a special assessment, or another measure put to the members
A survey or advisory vote, with the heading changed

What it must include

The association's name, the meeting or election, and the date
Instructions, including how many candidates may be chosen
Each candidate's name as it will be counted, with a write-in line
Each measure, in the exact words that will be adopted, with yes and no
The return deadline and the two-envelope instructions where the ballot is secret

State rules

Several states require secret ballots for director elections, bar proxies for them, and prescribe the two-envelope method and who may open the envelopes. Others let the bylaws decide. Check your state's act before choosing between a ballot and a proxy.

HOA laws by state

In Havn

Havn runs the vote inside the owner portal, weights it by allocated interest where the documents say so, takes paper ballots by code, and keeps results sealed until the vote closes.

Voting

The template

Official Ballot

[Association name] · [Annual meeting / Special vote] · [Date]

Instructions

Mark your choices with an X. Vote for no more than [number] candidates. Place this ballot in the enclosed blank envelope, seal it, place that envelope in the outer envelope, and sign the outer envelope with your name and home address. Return it to [address] or bring it to the meeting by [date and time]. A ballot without a signed outer envelope cannot be counted.

Election of directors: vote for no more than [number]

[Candidate name]
[Candidate name]
[Candidate name]
[Candidate name]
Write-in: ______________________

Measure 1: [Title]

[The exact text of the measure, such as the amendment to Section [number] of the Declaration to read as follows: ...]

Yes, approve
No, do not approve

Measure 2: [Title]

[Text of the measure.]

Yes, approve
No, do not approve

Do not sign this ballot. Sign the outer envelope only.

Download the PDF

Questions Boards Ask

Can an HOA election be held by mail?

In most states, yes, by secret mail-in ballot with a signed outer envelope, or by electronic vote where the association has adopted it. The bylaws say which methods the community uses.

Who counts the ballots?

An inspector of elections or a committee of owners who are not candidates, in the open, with the outer envelopes checked against the roster before the inner envelopes are opened. Several states prescribe this.

Goes With This One

HOA Proxy Form Template

HOA Annual Meeting Notice Template

HOA Petition Template

Keep Reading

Guides

HOA Voting Rules, ExplainedWho gets a vote, how much it counts, how many owners have to show up, and what a proxy actually does.
HOA Special Assessment RulesA special assessment is the charge nobody budgeted for.

Terms to Know

Proxy voteA written authorization letting another person vote for an owner at a meeting.
QuorumThe minimum number of owners, or share of the votes, that must be present or represented for a meeting to act.
Allocated interestA condominium unit's share of the common expenses, the common elements, and the votes, stated in the declaration as a percentage or fraction.
Board of directorsThe owners elected to run the association: adopt the budget, levy assessments, maintain the common areas, enforce the rules, and hire the manager.

State Law

HOA laws by stateEvery state's association statutes and resale rules on one map.
Resale certificate fee capsAll 51 jurisdictions' fee caps and deadlines in one table.

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