You may have read the Elections Manager guide which is certainly helpful and covers 90% of all elections. For a more detailed guide, please see below.
👉 How Voting Works in Vlge Elections
Vlge elections are built around a simple idea: each eligible voter gets a unique ballot link, usually cast online. Email is the main delivery path. Mailed letters, markable paper returns, and proxies are optional extras your community can use when needed.
Household Voting
For most HOA elections, one vote counts per property, not per person. Several people at the same address may still receive a ballot; the household setting decides how those ballots are counted.
First Wins - The first person at that property to submit casts the official vote. Anyone else from the same property who tries later is told the household has already voted.
Last Wins - Later votes from the same property replace earlier ones. The last vote before the deadline counts.
Individual - Household grouping is off. Each person votes independently. Best for surveys or non-binding polls.
First Wins is the usual choice for binding HOA elections.
Entity-Owned Properties
When a property is owned by an LLC, trust, or other entity, representatives do not automatically get ballots. Each representative has a setting: Can vote in elections.
Only representatives with that setting checked are added to the election and can receive a ballot.
Other representatives do not get ballots.
Ownership percentage does not decide who is mailed. A 10% stake and a 90% stake are treated the same for ballot delivery.
Each voting person gets their own unique ballot link.
Split ownership (for example, 50/50)
If Entity A and Entity B each own half, and each has a voting representative:
Both receive a ballot for that property.
Under First Wins or Last Wins, the property still contributes one counted vote.
Under First Wins, the first submission locks the property’s vote.
Under Last Wins, the last submission before the deadline decides it.
If neither entity has a voting representative, that property has no voting contact until someone is designated.
Tip for managers: If you want one clear voter for a multi-entity property, leave "Can vote in elections" checked only for that person. Household voting is the backstop so only one vote counts even if more than one ballot was delivered.
Individually owned properties
Current owners associated with the property can be included and receive ballots. Household rules still apply the same way.
⭐️ How Ballots Are Delivered
There are several delivery paths. They are independent - using one does not automatically turn off another.
Email (primary)
When an election goes live, eligible voters with email addresses can receive a message with their unique ballot link. Reminders and last-chance notices can also be scheduled for people who have not voted yet.
Your community must have Live Email Sending turned on for those messages to actually go out. Ballot email wording is managed under Messaging (templates / automations).
Voters do not need to sign into the resident portal to vote. Opening their unique link is enough.
📝 Mailed ballot letters (optional - not automatic)
Paper letters are not mailed automatically when an election starts, and they are not required for every election.
An administrator decides whether to mail them, after the election is live:
Open the election’s Ballot delivery area.
Preview mail recipients - see who is ready vs skipped (missing mailing address, already mailed), plus an estimated cost.
Confirm and Send ballot letters.
Letters go only to voters with a usable mailing address, and only if the organization has postal mailing enabled and sufficient mailing balance/billing set up. Sends happen in batches.
Important: These mailed letters are not fill-in paper ballots meant to be marked and returned by mail. Each letter is a one-page notice with:
the election name and close date
the voter’s name
a QR code and the printed unique ballot URL
The recipient scans the QR (or types the URL), votes online, and keeps their receipt ID. The same person may also have received the email link.
Administrators can also export ballot links as a CSV (name, email, property, unique URL, mailing-address status) for hand delivery, posting, or other outreach.
Before you go live: try it on your phone
From the election page, admins can download a test ballot PDF (with QR and link) or copy a test vote link. Submissions in that preview do not count as real votes. Rotating the test link invalidates older test PDFs and links.
⚡️QR Codes
QR codes show up in a few places, and they are not all the same:
Where | What it does |
Test ballot PDF (“Try it on your phone”) | Opens a preview ballot. Votes do not count. |
Mailed ballot letter | Opens that voter’s live unique ballot link so they can vote online. |
Markable paper ballot packet | Identifies the physical ballot for scanning and review after return - it is not a phone voting link. |
Voting Online (Residents)
Open the unique link from email, mailed letter, or your community’s outreach.
Review each question, candidate, or option.
Make your selections and submit.
Save the Receipt ID from the confirmation screen.
If the election is set to email receipts, you may also get a confirmation email.
If someone else at your property already voted under First Wins, you will see that the household has already voted. Under Last Wins, a later vote can replace an earlier one.
Proxies (If Your Community Allows Them)
Some communities allow owners to assign a proxy. Depending on settings, a proxy may count toward quorum only, allow voting, or both.
Owners assign a proxy through a secure link.
The proxy holder accepts, then can cast on the owner’s behalf when voting proxies are allowed.
Administrators can track proxies on the election’s Quorum & Proxies area and record paper proxies when needed.
A quorum-only proxy does not cast a ballot. Details depend on your community’s election and governance settings.
Markable Paper Ballots and “Manual” Entry
Vlge does not offer a free-form “type in this resident’s vote” button for admins.
What exists instead is a controlled paper ballot return path for communities that use physical markable ballots:
Physical custody stays with the association.
Staff open an intake batch (envelope count, witness).
Scans of returned ballots are uploaded.
The system can assist with reading the marks, but a person must review each ballot.
Two different organization representatives must confirm the interpretation.
Confirmed paper ballots are reconciled into the election results.
If that property already voted online, the later paper ballot is treated as a duplicate and does not override the online vote.
So “manual entry” in practice means human-reviewed paper adjudication, not unrestricted admin casting.
After You Vote: Verification
Depending on election settings:
Save your Receipt ID from the confirmation screen.
Open the election’s public verification page.
Enter the Receipt ID.
Confirm that your vote was recorded (and, depending on secrecy settings, what can be shown).
Verification is typically available for a limited window after the election ends (Default is 30 days). If verification is turned off for that election, this path is unavailable.
Under Last Wins, an earlier receipt may show as superseded if a later household vote replaced it.
Results, Privacy, and Certification
When results appear is controlled by the administrator (often after the election ends).
Secret ballot settings limit whether administrators can see individual choices.
Participation can be tracked while the election is open; detailed voter identity lists are privacy-protected until enough votes exist.
After close, communities can run a formal certification process (dual signatures / managed certification) with a downloadable packet. Open issues - incomplete delivery, unresolved proxies or paper intake, open challenges - can block certification until resolved.
Administrators can download an audit report for the election.
Who Can Vote?
In general, a person must:
Have an active account
Be tied to the property as a current owner, or as an entity representative marked Can vote in elections
Be included on that election’s voter list
Have a way to receive their ballot (email for electronic delivery; a mailing address if letters are sent)
Being listed as an entity representative alone is not enough - "Can vote in elections" must be checked.
🔍 Quick Answers
Question | Answer |
Are paper letters always mailed? | No. Never automatic. Admin chooses after the election is live. |
Are they never mailed? | Also no - they are an optional channel when postal mail is enabled. |
What is in the mailed letter? | A QR code and unique link to vote online, not a returnable fill-in ballot. |
Can the same person get email and a letter? | Yes. |
What about QR codes? | On test PDFs and mailed letters they open the ballot link; on markable paper packets they identify the physical ballot for intake. |
Can admins just type in votes? | No. Paper returns go through witnessed intake, scan review, and dual confirmation. |
How do voters prove their vote counted? | Receipt ID on the verification page (when enabled). |
Election Results
Results are typically available after the election closes. Your administrator controls when they are published and whether the election is formally certified afterward.