Home Owners Association Board of Directors

[Guest W Broyles]

I sit on the board of directors for my home owners association. We recently voted on a controversial issue and as such most of the board members do not want anyone to know the way they voted. The votes were sent by email to our property manager and she tallied the votes. Since I am the Secretary on the Board, I asked the property manager to provide the votes so that I may account for each members vote and publish them in the minutes. She has refused even though this has not been our practice in the past.

My question - is secret ballot allowable per Roberts Rules of Order?

[Chris Harrison]

Voting by secret ballot is permitted (RONR p. 398) however voting by email is not unless the bylaws specifically permits it (RONR p. 2 footnote, pp. 408-409).

[Robert B Fish]

However, even if your bylaws allow meeting by e-mail and even if you decide to use secret ballot voting, and even if you appointed the property manager as teller (a questionable practice), the teller must make a report of balloting to the meeting. Then you could vote to order a recount of the ballots, etc. if that were needed. You could also order that the ballots be destroyed.

-Bob

[hmtcastle]

Since I am the Secretary on the Board, I asked the property manager to provide the votes so that I may account for each members vote and publish them in the minutes.

Unless this was a roll-call vote, how each voter voted would not be recorded. In an ordinary vote you simply note whether the motion was adopted or lost. In a counted vote (e.g. a ballot vote), you record the number of "yes" and "no" votes.

An assembly is always free to order a vote by ballot.

[Josh Martin]

My question - is secret ballot allowable per Roberts Rules of Order?

I agree with the previous posters, and would add that in a true secret ballot, no one knows how the members voted, not even the tellers. Methods of absentee balloting (which must be authorized in the Bylaws) should be tailored to facilitate such secrecy. (RONR, 10th ed., pg. 410, line 17 - pg. 411, line 16)