Sudden Valley committee moves toward hybrid electronic voting after board approved Unilect contract; members request hands‑on demo

The Sudden Valley Nominations & Elections Committee discussed implementation of hybrid electronic voting after the board approved a contract with vendor Unilect, and members asked for a demonstration and a practice (mock) vote to see the system in action.

Rob, committee chair, said the board had already approved the Unilect contract. "The board did approve it," he said, and the committee moved to get a hands‑on demonstration so members can explain the system to neighbors.

Why it matters: The committee will help set expectations for a hybrid model that lets homeowners choose electronic or paper ballots. Members said a demonstration would make it easier to explain security, ballot replacement and the opt‑out process to residents ahead of the annual general meeting (AGM).

Committee members reported that Unilect uses a tool called ElectionBuddy. As described during the meeting, "once you cast your vote electronically, it goes into the database encrypted and a unique number is given," and the vendor cannot link that number back to a voter. The system also detects duplicate submissions and uses the first cast ballot for tallying, whether electronic or paper. "The ballot that was cast first is the one that they tally," a committee member explained.

Members said the system can be set up for a mock vote so the committee and board can try it before it is used community‑wide. Rob said Unilect had previously offered a sample vote and that he would follow up with Linda Bradley, the board secretary, to place a demonstration on a future agenda.

Committee members discussed tradeoffs and community acceptance. JoJean, a committee member, said hybrid voting must preserve paper options: "We can't have just all electronic. We have to let some people mail or vote the old fashioned way because there are still little old people that aren't that sharp with computer[s]," she said.

Rob and others also noted potential cost savings if a substantial portion of homeowners opt for electronic ballots, but they said any shift depends on community uptake and preserving accessibility and security. The committee agreed to request a vendor demonstration and a mock election so members can be prepared to answer neighbors' questions and explain opt‑out and replacement‑ballot procedures.

Ending: The committee did not vote to change policy at the meeting; it requested a training/demo vote and outreach materials so it can help educate the community before hybrid voting is widely used.