Sudden Valley committee seeks contract proposal from Unilect to add hybrid voting option

The Sudden Valley NNE Committee on Jan. 27, 2025 reviewed a planned contract proposal with election-services vendor Unilect to add a hybrid voting option that would let homeowners vote electronically or by mailed paper ballot.

The committee said the proposed service would continue to use SMS, a Blaine-based print and mail subcontractor, and would include safeguards to prevent double voting. "They can tell if they've received two paper ballots and they nullify one of them," a committee member said, describing Unilect's countermeasures. The committee heard that when duplicate ballots are received, the vendor selects the earliest-received ballot for counting.

Committee members said the hybrid option — where a homeowner could either return a mailed ballot or submit an electronic ballot, with systems to reject a later duplicate — could increase convenience for residents who travel or live in Canada and reduce postage costs if more voters choose the electronic option. "If the more people could show this is a trustworthy process, then more and more people would stop mailing these ballots and we could save some postage," a committee member said.

The committee recalled a December motion by the Sun Valley board directing the general manager to begin obtaining a contract proposal from Unilect. The general manager is expected to receive a proposed contract and share it with the committee for review. Committee members asked that Unilect provide documentation explaining its security, time-stamping, and audit procedures so homeowners can review how the system prevents double voting and preserves audit trails.

Members raised procedural and legal questions to be clarified before any change is adopted. A committee member said the group's attorney, identified in the meeting as Eddie Emanuel, advised that a vote could not be changed after submission if the rule is that the first-submitted ballot is the one that counts. Committee members also requested that staff collect written answers from Unilect on vote record handling, postmarks/time stamps for cross-border mail, and system audit logs before recommending a contractual change.

No formal contract was approved at the meeting. Staff and the general manager were asked to circulate the vendor proposal and to prepare plain-language materials explaining how hybrid voting would work so homeowners can evaluate the change ahead of the annual general meeting.