Remote and electronic voting by owners in California
Since 1 January 2025, a California association may adopt an election operating rule that lets it use an inspector or inspectors of elections to run an election by electronic secret ballot. This does not apply to an election about regular or special assessments.
What the law says
Notwithstanding an association's governing documents, the association may adopt an election operating rule that allows an association to utilize an inspector or inspectors of elections, as specified in Section 5110, to conduct an election by electronic secret ballot, except for an election regarding regular or special assessments, as provided for in Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 5600).Last verified:
What this means in practice
The rule must let a member switch between electronic and written ballot up to 90 days before an election, require the same items on both ballots, require the association to keep a list of who votes in which way, and require a valid e-mail address from a member voting electronically; a member without one receives a written ballot. The association delivers individual notice of the electronic ballot to each member 30 days before the election. A vote by electronic secret ballot counts for the quorum, takes effect when it is transmitted to the system designated by the inspector, and cannot be revoked.
Where Unitify fits
Unitify records votes and keeps the result. It does not run video meetings of its own and does not by itself satisfy an identification or signature rule of your law. Whether a vote taken this way counts depends on the law above and on your own rules.
How this works in UnitifyQuestions and answers
- Can owners vote remotely or electronically in California?
- Since 1 January 2025, a California association may adopt an election operating rule that lets it use an inspector or inspectors of elections to run an election by electronic secret ballot. This does not apply to an election about regular or special assessments.
- Where does this come from, and when was it checked?
- The quotation is from Cal. Civ. Code § 5105(i), at the official source linked on this page. It was last checked against that source on September 16, 2026.