Homeowner resource
Return your ballot
Four candidates are standing for five seats, so this ballot is not really about choosing between them. It decides whether the election happens at all.
The part that voids ballots
Civil Code § 5115 sets a two-envelope procedure, and it is the opposite of what most people expect.
- Do not sign the ballot. Mark your choices, put the ballot in the smaller envelope, and seal it. The statute is explicit: "the ballot itself is not signed by the voter." A signed ballot is no longer secret.
- Sign the outer envelope. In the upper left-hand corner, sign your name, print your name, and write your address or unit identifier. This is what lets the Inspector confirm you are a member entitled to vote.
- Send it, or hand it over. The statute allows either mail or hand delivery to a location the Inspector specifies.
Both halves matter. A ballot signed on the ballot is not a secret ballot; an unsigned outer envelope cannot be matched to a member. Either one can cost you your vote.
It has to arrive, not be postmarked. And once the Inspector has it, § 5120 makes it irrevocable — so send it when you have settled on it.
Send it to
HOA Elect CA, LLC, ATTN: Inspectors of Election
6161 El Cajon Blvd., Suite B437, San Diego, CA 92115
If a ballot never reached you
About 61% of units here are tenant-occupied, so a lot of owners live somewhere else. If the mailing address the Association holds for you is out of date, your ballot went to the rental unit or to an old address, and nothing about that is your fault or your tenant's.
Civil Code § 5105 gives you the right to verify the information the Association holds for you. Ask the Inspector directly — they are independent of the board and this is their job.
- support@hoaelectca.com
- 855-701-VOTE (8683)
- www.HOAElectCA.com/associations/jamacha26
Why it matters when nobody is running against anybody
With fewer candidates than seats, returning your ballot is not a vote for a person. It is the thing that decides whether the meeting has a quorum — and if it does not, the ballots are never opened and the sitting directors stay in place.
That is not hypothetical. From the Inspector of Election's certified report for the meeting held February 15, 2024:
"I determined that a quorum of members was not reached either by presence in person or by absentee ballot. I received a total of 51 valid ballot return envelopes. Due to lack of quorum, the meeting was adjourned until the next Annual Meeting, the ballots were not opened, and the current Directors will remain in place until the Director's successor is elected."
192 members were entitled to vote. Fifty-one ballots came back — 26.6% — and none of them were opened. Nothing changed for another year.
A ballot that stays on the kitchen counter is not a neutral act. It is the one input that produces that outcome.
You are allowed to watch the count
Civil Code § 5120 requires ballots to be counted "in public at a properly noticed open meeting," and provides that "any candidate or other member of the association may witness the counting and tabulation of the votes." Nobody may open or review a ballot before then.
The meeting is September 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM. It is held by Zoom; the meeting ID and passcode are printed on the election notice mailed with your ballot.
Results go to the board and into the minutes within 15 days, with general notice to members.