HHA Rule for Online Voting
June 24, 2025
The purpose of this Rule is to clarify that the Bylaws of the Hessel Harbor Association (HHA) permit secure online voting. The use of online voting allows for a more convenient and inclusive process for HHA co-owners and the membership at large.
The following Rule expands upon the voting procedures described in Article 1, Section 2, Paragraphs A-H of the HHA Bylaws to include the following:
- a) When voting by HHA co-owners is required, an online voting platform may be used for that purpose.
- b) If the co-owner designation in Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph E of the HHA Bylaws includes an email address associated with an individual representative (or the co-owners if no individual representative applies), the vote of the co-owner may be solicited by sending an electronic message to said email address prior to the start of the election.
- c) Co-owners who do not wish to vote electronically may cast their ballot by other means as set forth by the HHA Bylaws.
The online voting platform must provide a safe, secure, anonymous, and verifiable voting process for the HHA co-owners. Specifically, the voting platform must
- be compatible with all major devices and operating systems
- offer secure voting, in that each voter has a unique “Voter ID” and “Voter Key”
- allow for an anonymous audit of the election results, as needed
Nothing in this Rule requires online voting to be used by the HHA, it simply permits its use for any election or vote within the HHA.
This Rule goes into effect thirty days after its ratification by the Board on Tuesday, June 24th, 2025.
For more context, read the FAQ below.
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FAQ
Q: Does the Board have the power to enact Rules of this type?
A: Yes. In Article 1, Section 4 (A) of the HHA Bylaws it states that “The Board of Directors shall have all powers and duties necessary for the administration of the affairs of the ASSOCIATION and may do all acts and things as are not prohibited by these BY-LAWS”. Making an administrative change to allow for online voting is not prohibited by the HHA Bylaws. Furthermore, in Article 1, Section 4 (A) Subheading 8, it states that the HHA Board is empowered to “make rules and regulations in accordance to Article V, Section 8 of these BY-LAWS”
Q: All right, what does Article V, Section 8 say specifically?
A: The HHA Bylaws state that “Other reasonable rules and regulations consistent with these BY-LAWS … may be made and amended from time to time by any Board of Directors of the ASSOCIATION …[.] All such rules and regulations and amendments thereto shall be furnished to all co-owners and shall become effective thirty (30) days after mailing or delivery thereof to a co-owner or the designated voting representative of each co-owner.”
Q: Is this new Rule permanent?
A: Yes, unless it is revoked through an affirmative vote of 75% of all co-owners.
Q: Does it make online voting mandatory in all cases?
A: No. It simply clarifies that online voting may be used in those cases where the Board determines it would be useful and beneficial to the HHA at large.
Q: Is online voting trustworthy?
A: Yes. Its use is very common in the nonprofit world and in thousands of organizations, clubs, associations, and the like.
Q: Will anybody get to see who I voted for online?
A: No. Not even the HHA Board members will be able to see the voting history of individual HHA co-owners. The online voting portal will not disclose how the HHA co-owner voted on any particular issue, but simply tabulate the results and provide the basic factual information (timestamp) of when each ballot was turned in.
Q: My slip is owned by my extended family, and there are many people who use it. Who is entitled to cast our vote on the online voting portal?
A: According to the HHA Bylaws in Article 1, Section 2 (E) “Each co-owner shall file a written notice with the Association designating the individual representative who shall vote at meetings of the Association and receive all notices and other communications from the Association on behalf of such co-owner.” The HHA maintains a list of its designated co-owners, and will email the link to the online voting portal to that person. It will be up to the family to decide which of the persons in the family shall cast the single vote associated with that individual slip.
Q: What if I don’t want to vote electronically?
A: Each co-owner or representative may request a paper ballot, which must be returned by the close of the election.
Q: I don’t use email.
A: The HHA will mail you a paper ballot, which you must return by the close of the election.