CAI-NJ January 2021

O nline voting saves time and increases efficiency for all parties involved. The entire lifecycle of an election can be handled online, getting rid of the need to send ballots out to community members, eliminating the wait on getting them back, reducing follow-up commu- nication, and working to get maximum voter participation. Most online voting platforms have similar capabilities and support the self-management of elections as well as man- aged election services. With managed election services, all aspects of the voting process, including setup, post-vot- ing reporting, verifying, and delivering certified results are managed by the election service provider. Due to the Radburn Law Regulations in New Jersey and the need for maintaining voters’ anonymity, there are bene- fits to engaging a third-party provider to maintain a layer of separation between the voting process and the individuals involved. With fully managed election services, the task of setup and administration is taken off the shoulders of property managers, giving them more time to focus on the immediate needs of their community. Managed election service providers will work with the property manager and guide them through the process of All necessary information is gathered to customize the asso- ciation’s unique election website and help the provider under- stand all the details of the election – timeframes, ballot ques- tions, candidate profiles, communication preferences, report- ing schedule, and voter records. Some platforms assign an ONLINE VOTING: Making Elections Simple, Secure and Seamless for the Community By Asish George, MBA, LSSGB, Ballot by BITS (a division of BITS Consulting) setting up the online election: Requirements Analysis

elec- tion manager who, for the dura- tion of the election cycle,

will be the property manager’s primary contact and will be available to provide the support needed to ensure a

successful election. Election Setup

During this process, a unique voting website is created for each association that is branded with the association’s logo & colors, is easy to use, and looks professional. The website is also populated with the list of eligible voters with voting credentials and vote weights (as needed). Voter cre- dentials can be generated by the online system or can be specified credentials based on existing “Member IDs”, or something simple as the voter’s confirmed e-mail address. With the email addresses of eligible voters, a mass email is sent out containing a link to the ballot. This email can also

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CONT I NU E S ON PAGE 16

“All necessary information is gathered to customize the association’s unique election website.”

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