The short answer: an Illinois association can generally move toward electronic voting and electronic delivery only after confirming that the applicable statute and its own governing documents permit it, and after obtaining owner consent to electronic delivery in the manner those authorities require. The Illinois Condominium Property Act and CICAA each address association meetings, voting, and delivery of notices, and the specifics differ. Before your board signs a vendor contract, have association counsel confirm what your association is authorized to do and what consent or amendment steps come first.
The upside is real. Associations that struggle to reach quorum at annual meetings often see participation rise substantially once owners can vote from a phone. But the value only holds if the result is defensible. A contested election decided by an electronic process the board cannot document is worse than a paper election with modest turnout.
Confirm Authority Before Anything Else
Three questions come first, in this order. Does the statute governing your association permit the electronic method you want to use? Do your declaration and bylaws permit it, or do they contain language that must be amended? And what form of owner consent to electronic delivery is required before you may send notices and ballots electronically? Counsel should answer all three in writing. Do not rely on a vendor's marketing material as your legal analysis.
Collect and Maintain Consent Records
Build a consent register that records, for each unit or lot, whether the owner has consented to electronic delivery, the date, the email address on file, and any later revocation. Owners who have not consented continue to receive notices by the traditional method. This dual-track approach is the most common operational failure point, because associations forget to run the paper track for non-consenting owners and invalidate the notice for those units.
Keep the Register Current
- Update immediately on resale, since consent does not follow the unit to a new owner.
- Handle bounced email as a delivery failure requiring fallback, not as a delivered notice.
- Honor revocations promptly and confirm them in writing.
- Reconcile the register against the ownership roster before every noticed vote.
Ballot Integrity Requirements
Whatever platform you use should give the board a clean answer to each of these: how is a voter authenticated as the record owner, how is one vote per eligible unit or lot enforced, how are proxies handled alongside electronic ballots, how is the ballot secured before the count, and what audit trail is produced afterward. Ask the vendor for a sample audit report and a sample tabulation record before signing, and have counsel review the contract's data ownership and retention terms.
Board Checklist: Before You Launch Electronic Voting
- Obtain a written opinion from counsel on statutory and document authority.
- Amend the bylaws first if counsel advises that the documents do not permit the method.
- Adopt a written electronic voting and delivery policy.
- Run a consent campaign and build a consent register tied to the ownership roster.
- Maintain a parallel paper process for owners who have not consented.
- Verify voter authentication, one-vote enforcement, and proxy handling with the vendor.
- Confirm the platform produces an exportable audit trail the association owns.
- Review vendor data security, retention, and breach notification terms with counsel.
- Pilot the platform on a low-stakes vote before an election.
- Retain ballots, tabulations, and audit records with the association's official records.
- Debrief after the first election and correct the process before the next cycle.
Communication Drives Turnout, Not Technology
The platform removes friction; it does not create interest. Associations that see the biggest participation gains pair electronic voting with a short candidate statement package, a clear explanation of what is being decided, and two or three reminders on a published schedule. Owners respond to clarity about what their vote changes.
This article is educational information for Illinois association boards and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between the Illinois Condominium Property Act and CICAA, and requirements may change; confirm current requirements for electronic notice, consent, and voting with your association's counsel before implementing any platform.
Plan Your Next Election With Support
Stellar Property Management coordinates notice, ballot, and meeting logistics for condominium, HOA, and townhome boards in Chicago and the North Shore. Schedule a consultation to review your election process.