Election Inspector Appointment Rules

When running electronic homeowner association (HOA) elections in California, an inspector of elections must be a part of the process. Their job is to oversee the election, ensuring every step from start to finish is fair, accurate, and transparent. The election inspector monitoring the voting process must be an independent third party to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. 

Who Can Be an Election Inspector?

Good candidates for an election inspector role include a volunteer poll worker with the county, a licensed accountant, a notary public, or a member of the association who is not on the board, a candidate for the board, or related to a board member or candidate in any way. 

Having a third-party inspector can help enhance voter confidence online and help the entire election run more smoothly.

The Inspector Selection Process

The process for selecting an inspector of elections may vary by HOA, depending on the association’s rules and bylaws. California state law also requires that all HOAs have rules outlining how to select either one or three election inspectors. 

Most of the time, HOAs choose an inspector by using one of two options. The HOA board can appoint someone to be the inspector of elections. Alternatively, HOA members can vote and elect a person for this position. Most associations opt for the board appointment option.

HOA rules must allow inspectors to retain assistants for the election process. These helpers can assist with tasks like verifying signatures and counting votes. It’s important to note that assistants should also be independent third parties, keeping the election process neutral every step of the way.

The Role of an Election Inspector

After being appointed or elected, it’s critical that an election inspector keeps your association in compliance with all deadlines listed on the Davis-Stirling election timeline and other requirements. Here are just a few of their responsibilities:

• Determine who can vote
• Verify voter registration and eligibility
• Receive ballots
• Review any challenges and questions regarding the election
• Count votes
• Set the poll closing time
• Determine election results
• Manage lists and results, keep ballots secret, etc. 

All election inspectors must act in good faith to ensure the election is fair for all HOA members.

Simplify the Election Process

Election inspectors have a lot to manage, but they don’t have to handle it alone. Platforms like ElectionBuddy are designed to streamline the election process from the initial setup of the election to reporting final results. 

Here’s why inspectors love using ElectionBuddy:

• Everything is tracked. There is full transparency from start to finish.
• It’s user-friendly. ElectionBuddy is easy to set up, with little training needed.
• Voting is flexible. Whether your membership prefers casting their ballot online, by paper, or by offering the option of either method, the platform can handle it.
• Members are kept engaged and informed with automated communication and messaging reminders.
• The platform is accessible from anywhere. Managing and certifying elections has never been easier.

Whether you’re electing a new HOA board member or voting on an issue, you can be sure your inspector of elections is in good hands with ElectionBuddy. 

As a long-trusted election partner, our platform is designed to make the voting process easy, transparent, and secure from beginning to end. This means you can focus less on the time-consuming administrative side of elections and more on serving the causes you care about!