1 (800) 585-9694
Get Started
Get Started

Month: September 2025

Maryland HOAs Act Regarding Online Voting

Posted on by Clémence Campillo

Starting October 1, 2025, a major update to Maryland’s HOA and condo laws will take effect. Maryland’s House Bill 1534 takes direct aim at one of the most sensitive aspects of condominium and homeowners association (HOA) governance: elections.  

What Maryland HOA Boards Should Know About the New Law

Under HB 1534, elections for the governing body (board of directors, officers, etc.) must be overseen by an independent party. This is a major change: it prevents candidates, current board members, or management companies from controlling the process.

The law specifies that the “independent party” may include:

  • A third-party vendor or technology provider hired by the association to conduct the election.
  • Another unit or lot owner who is not campaigning for any candidate, does not have a conflict of interest, and is not objected to by more than 25% of eligible voters.

Importantly, representatives of the condominium’s or HOA’s property management are not considered independent parties. The governing body may retain a third-party vendor or a commercial technology online voting platform to conduct an election. 

Is Your HOA Election System Compliant?

To legally hold online HOA elections in Maryland, associations must use a platform that meets the following requirements:

  • Verifiable voter identity
  • Third-party administration
  • Anonymity when required
  • Audit-friendly election results

This bill introduces new safeguards designed to ensure credibility, independence, and owner confidence in the process. Simply Voting fully meets these requirements, offering secure, anonymous, and independently managed elections for HOAs and condo associations.

Why Switch to Online Voting for Your Maryland HOA?

Online voting system offers several advantages:

  • Faster election processes
  • Higher participation from homeowners
  • Improved election security and transparency
  • Cost savings vs. paper ballots and manual administration

How Simply Voting Can Help

One of the strongest ways to comply with HB 1534’s new election rules is to bring in a trusted, independent third party. At Simply Voting, HOA or condo association elections can be overseen by a dedicated project manager who guides the process from start to finish.

That means:

  • Personalized support: Your project manager understands your community’s bylaws and tailors the election setup to fit your rules.
  • Neutral oversight: Because Simply Voting is independent, you avoid conflicts of interest and ensure fairness.
  • Professional execution: From setting up ballots to distributing credentials to monitoring results, your project manager handles the details.
  • Transparency & trust: Owners know the process is secure, impartial, and verifiable.

This hands-on support gives associations peace of mind that their elections not only comply with the new law but also run smoothly and credibly.

Start Running Secure HOA Elections in Maryland

Ready to make your next election fair, transparent, and stress-free? Contact Simply Voting today to learn how our dedicated project managers can help your community comply with Maryland’s new law and run smoother elections.

Our New Feature: Nominations

Posted on by Clémence Campillo

We are excited to announce a new election type for our online voting platform: our new feature, nominations. 

You can now collect nominations right inside Simply Voting before your election begins. No more juggling tools or manual steps, everything from nominations to final voting happens in one streamlined platform.

It’s faster, easier, and keeps your entire election process all in one place.

In a nomination election, electors can nominate any elector for one or more position(s) on a ballot. It can optionally include a confirmation period during which nominees can accept or decline their nomination(s) and provide a candidate statement and photo that will be incorporated into the final ballot.

Election organizers can then save time setting-up the election using the nomination results to populate the final ballot. 

How does it work?

To set up a nomination election in the Election Manager tool, simply create a new election:

Select “Nomination” as the type, and check the box labeled “This is a nomination election.”

In the Election Manager tool, you designate a new election as a nomination event, and then determine nomination settings such as if nominees are allowed to accept or decline nominations, and if candidate photos and statements can be provided.

You will also need to upload your list of electors and indicate the positions that will be on the ballot. Like any other election, you will also schedule an email blast, proof the ballot and finalize the election. 

Once your electors have nominated candidates and the election is finished, all nominees will be listed on the nomination results page. If applicable, you will then allow nominees to confirm their nomination and add their statement and photo.

Once you are done processing nominations (and once the confirmation period is finished, if applicable), you will need to “click” on “populate” to create the election ballot.

For more information about managing a nomination election, see https://help.simplyvoting.com/docs/en/nominations

This new feature allows you to run your nomination process and election on the same platform while facilitating your nomination process and simplifying your ballot setup. 

Log in to your Election Manager now to start setting up your next nomination election.