California HOA Election Resources
Running a compliant election in a California homeowners association means working through Civil Code sections 5100 to 5145, a fixed sequence of notice deadlines, and, since January 2025, a separate set of rules for electronic voting. The pages below are the plain-English version, written by the people who run these elections for a living.
HOA Elections of California is a professional third-party inspector of elections based in San Clemente. We serve homeowners associations throughout California, including Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
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The complete guide to California HOA elections
How an election runs from the first call for candidates to the certified results report, with every statutory deadline in the order you will actually hit it.
Davis-Stirling and HOA elections: what the law requires
A section-by-section walkthrough of Civil Code 5100 to 5145, including what AB 2159 changed for electronic voting.
What a California inspector of elections does
Who is allowed to serve, the duties the statute assigns, and why the independence requirement disqualifies more vendors than most boards expect.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to what homeowners and boards ask us most, from signing the outer envelope to whether a vote can be changed.
California HOA election deadlines at a glance
Every California HOA election runs on the same statutory clock. The table below lists the minimum deadlines set by the Davis-Stirling Act. To turn them into real dates for your community, use our free HOA election timeline calculator, which works backward from your election date and adjusts for weekends and holidays.
| When | What has to happen | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| No later than 90 days before the election | Last day a member can switch between an electronic ballot and a written ballot, where the association has adopted an electronic voting rule | Civ. Code 5105(i)(1)(A) |
| At least 90 days before the election | Election operating rules can no longer be amended | Civ. Code 5105 |
| At least 30 days before the nomination deadline | General notice of the nomination procedure and the deadline to submit a nomination | Civ. Code 5115(a) |
| At least 30 days before ballots are distributed | General notice of the return address and deadline, the date, time and location of the meeting where ballots will be counted, and the full list of candidates | Civ. Code 5115(b) |
| At least 30 days before the voting deadline | Ballots and the two preaddressed envelopes are mailed or delivered to every member voting on paper | Civ. Code 5115(c) |
| At least 30 days before the election | Individual notice of the electronic secret ballot, including how to reach the voting system and how to cast a ballot | Civ. Code 5105(i)(3)(A) |
| At least 30 days before the voting deadline | Electronic voters must be able to confirm their own device can communicate with the voting system | Civ. Code 5110(c)(4)(A)(iii) |
| At least 20 days after an adjourned meeting | Earliest date a reconvened meeting may be held when quorum is not reached; the quorum then drops to 20 percent | Civ. Code 5115(d)(2) |
| At least 15 days before the reconvened meeting | General notice of the reconvened meeting, the candidate list and the reduced quorum | Civ. Code 5115(d)(3) |
| Election day | Ballots are counted in public at a properly noticed open meeting; any candidate or member may witness the count | Civ. Code 5120(a) |
| Within 15 days after the election | The board gives general notice of the tabulated results | Civ. Code 5120(b) |
| Within one year of the results notice | Deadline for a member to bring a civil action challenging the election | Civ. Code 5145(a) |
These are statutory minimums. Your governing documents may require more notice, and the Davis-Stirling Act controls where the two conflict.
For homeowners
The double envelope, and why the signature matters
Your ballot itself is never signed. It goes into a sealed inner envelope, which goes inside a second envelope that you sign in the upper left-hand corner, along with your name and the address or parcel identifier that entitles you to vote. That outer envelope is the only thing proving you are eligible, which is why an unsigned outer envelope is the most common reason a ballot cannot be counted.
Lost, damaged or never delivered
If your election package did not arrive or has gone missing, request a replacement rather than waiting. See replacement ballot requests.
Choosing how you vote
If your association has adopted an electronic voting rule, you can tell us whether you would rather receive an electronic ballot or a paper one. See voting preference.
For boards and community managers
Choosing an inspector of elections
The statute is specific about who may serve. An association must appoint one or three inspectors, and each must be an independent third party. An inspector may be a member of the association, but may not be a director, a candidate for director, or a person related to a director or candidate. An inspector also may not be any person or business currently employed by or under contract to the association for other compensable services, which is the clause that disqualifies a community management company from inspecting its own client's election.
Preparing for electronic voting
AB 2159 did not make electronic voting automatic. The association has to adopt an election operating rule first, and that rule has to address a specific list of items, including how members opt in or out, keeping electronic and written ballots identical, mailing paper ballots only to members who opted out or for whom the association has no email address, maintaining a voting list disclosed in the annual policy statement, and requiring electronic voters to provide a valid email address. Elections on regular or special assessments cannot be conducted electronically.
Get a quote
Tell us about your community and your timeline, and we will put together a proposal.
Official sources
Every rule described on this page comes from Article 4 of the California Civil Code. The links below open the official statute text published by California Legislative Information.
- Civil Code 5100 — which association votes must be decided by secret ballot, and what Article 4 governs
- Civil Code 5103 — election by acclamation when the number of qualified nominees does not exceed the number of open seats
- Civil Code 5105 — the election operating rules an association must adopt, including the rules that govern electronic voting
- Civil Code 5110 — selecting an independent inspector of elections, who is disqualified from serving, and the inspector’s duties
- Civil Code 5115 — nomination notice, the candidate registration list, and the ballot and meeting notice deadlines
- Civil Code 5120 — counting ballots in public at a properly noticed open meeting, and reporting the result
- Civil Code 5125 — custody of the sealed ballots and election materials, and how long they must be retained
- Civil Code 5145 — the civil action a member may bring when an association violates Article 4
- Article 4, Member Election, sections 5100 to 5145, full text
More from HOA Elections of California
This page is general information about California law and is not legal advice. Requirements can turn on the wording of your governing documents, and associations should confirm their obligations with their own counsel.