A written ballot differs from a proxy because while a proxy is evidence of an individual assigning his right to vote, the written ballot is the actual vote itself. When an Association takes an action by written ballot, it should accept no proxies as ballots - proxies should be exchanged for ballots. The individual owners receive the ballots, either in the mail or through some other process, and return the ballots as required by the Association (and specified on the ballots). If an individual cannot attend the meeting, he can send his ballot to the Association, or even have a friend bring the ballot to the meeting. This procedure should be dictated by the language of the ballot. Certain actions taken by written ballot are governed by the Colorado Revised Nonprofit Corporation Act. These specific written ballots cannot be revoked and must contain the following:  Each proposed action, with the opportunity to vote for or against the action;  The number of responses needed to reach the quorum requirement;  The percentage of approvals necessary for each matter (excluding director election);  The time when the ballot must be received to be counted; and  Information sufficient to permit the person casting the ballot to make an informed decision on the matter. The written ballot responses must equal or exceed the Association’s quorum requirements for the action to be taken, in order for it to be effective. Thus, an election for the Board of Directors must have sufficient response to reach quorum.

Mail-In Ballot Requirements. If it is determined that a mail-in ballot for approval of a proposed amendment is necessary, the board should be careful that it fulfills all of the specific requirements of the Colorado Revised Nonprofit Corporation Act regarding mail-in ballots. The ballot must: a) state each proposed action and be accompanied by sufficient written information for the owner to make an informed choice; b) state the number of ballots that must be returned to reach a quorum; c) state the number of yes votes needed to approve the proposed amendment; d) give the owner an opportunity to vote to approve OR to reject the proposed amendment; and e) must state a date and time as the deadline for the return of the ballot. A failure to fulfill these requirements can lead to the ballot, and the results achieved, being declared invalid.

Absentee ballots do pose a few problems that can be solved easily. You need to ensure that no one votes more than once. You do this by printing a special envelope that the member must sign and date and the ballot must be returned in that envelope. Absentee ballots should not be opened until the in-person voting has taken place. Members who vote in person should sign a voting roster. The envelopes holding the absentee ballots should be compared to the roster. If the person mailed in a ballot and voted in person, you set the absentee ballot aside with a notation that the member voted in person. If a member mailed in more than one ballot, only the most recent one should be counted and the others set aside with a notation that it is a duplicate. After removing those ballots and any others that are unsigned or otherwise not identifiable, open the "good" envelopes mix them into the other ballots and start counting.