Electronic Voting is Convenient, Cost-Effective, Deters Fraud, and Increases Participation
At the October 26, 2016 meeting of the Lakes at La Paz Condominium Association Board of Directors, a resolution was proposed to allow for electronic voting to be used for all membership votes, including elections. The resolution passed by unanimous consent of the full board. The benefits of electronic voting are plenty, and it's good to know that the Florida Legislature finally allows its use.
If you're familiar with using the internet, entering a password, checking off a box or two, and clicking submit, then you already understand the mechanics of electronic voting. You'll receive e-mail notices of upcoming membership votes, including a link to the voting site. From there it's as simple as click, vote and submit.
Your association averages 3 membership votes per year, each requiring multiple notices be sent, and in some instances, return envelopes with postage are required. Add to that the labor cost of collating the outgoing mail and sorting the incoming returns and each vote costs the association between $200 and $300. While it may not sound like much, that's nearly $1,000 per year. Our electronic voting costs between $32 and $100 per election -- less than 1/3rd the current cost.
There has never been an instance or allegation of fraud in any of our recorded votes. Let's face it though, it's much tougher to hack a computerized system than it is to accidentally or intentionally skew elections that rely on paper ballots (for example, by adding / changing a mark on paper, or by adding / removing entire ballots). Our voting system utilizes the same security and encryption used by banks and other financial institutions.
The added convenience is likely to drive up member participation. Sadly, it is often tough to get enough votes to even allow a proposal / issue / vote to go forward. By making the process simpler and more immediate it is likely more folks than ever will be able to voice their opinion.
Be sure to register for electronic voting by filling out the simple form below. As a security measure (what the geeks call "two factor authentication") a representative will call you to confirm your registration, once that's done, you're all set to vote!
All fields are required. As part of our two-factor authentication process a representative will contact you by phone to verify your identity.