What you get, and how it compares
VoteStead runs secret-ballot elections for homeowner and condominium associations by email, text and mailed notice. This page lists every feature, names the vendors we compared against, and says where one of them is the better answer.
The short version
Built around the law in your state
Most voting tools are general-purpose ballots with an association logo on them. VoteStead starts from the statute that governs your community.
| A rule pack for all 50 states and DC | Each pack carries the statute, what it authorizes, the secret-ballot rule, the paper-ballot rule and the retention period. |
|---|---|
| Features switch off where the law says no | California assessment votes, Indiana borrowing votes, Nevada and New Jersey self-serve elections: the option is disabled in the console with a note naming the law, not a warning nobody reads. |
| Meeting-tied states are handled | New York, Alaska, New Mexico and the condominium acts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island require the vote to close at an owner meeting. The election form asks for the meeting time and refuses to save without it. |
| A launch checklist that actually blocks | Board confirmations of the state steps, key shares issued, ballot questions present, attorney sign-off where required. Voting cannot open until every item is done. |
| Attorney sign-off where VoteStead has not finished its review | Outside Washington, a binding vote needs a letter from your association attorney until VoteStead counsel reviews that state pack. We would rather say that than pretend. |
A secret ballot that is actually secret
Nobody, including VoteStead, can tell how a unit voted. That is a property of the design, not a promise in a policy document.
| Two separate databases | One holds who is eligible and who has voted. The other holds sealed ballots with no name, no unit and no timestamp that could link them back. |
|---|---|
| Ballots sealed on the owner device | The ballot is encrypted in the owner browser before it is sent, so an unsealed ballot never exists on the server. |
| Blind-signed voting tokens | The server signs a token proving a unit may vote without seeing the token it signs, which is what breaks the link between voter and ballot. |
| A 2-of-3 key split | Three key holders, any two open the count, and only after voting closes. A single board member cannot peek at a running tally. |
| A hash chain over every ballot and every action | Any change to a stored ballot or to the audit log breaks the chain, and the verify command says so. |
| An owner tracker code | Each owner gets a code and can confirm their sealed ballot is in the final count, without revealing how they voted. |
Reaching every owner, including the ones without email
Turnout is the reason most association votes fail. VoteStead reaches owners three ways and chases the ones who have not voted.
| Email invitations and reminders | Sent from your association, with the ballot link and a 6-digit code. |
|---|---|
| Text messages to owners who opted in | Sent between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the association time zone, STOP honored at once. |
| Printed notices with access codes | A letter for a #10 double-window envelope with the access code and PIN, reminder postcards 4 to a sheet, and Avery 5160 address labels. Self-serve boards print them. Managed elections have VoteStead print and mail them. |
| No phone calls, by design | VoteStead never calls an owner and never takes calls, so a call claiming to be from VoteStead is a scam, and owners can be told exactly that. |
| Automatic reminders to units that have not voted | Pick the days, and only the units with no ballot in get a nudge. |
| Progress reports to the board | Turnout and quorum percentage on your schedule, so nobody waits until the last day to notice the vote is short. |
Running the vote
The board console is built for a volunteer who runs one election a year, not for an operator who runs one every day.
| 21 ballot templates | Board seats, budgets, dues increases, assessments, amendments, rules, removals, borrowing, surveys and a full annual meeting package. Pick one and edit every word. |
|---|---|
| Scheduled opening and closing | Set the dates, in your own time zone, and let it open itself. |
| Quorum tracking as it happens | By units or by allocated interest, whichever your documents use. |
| Roster import from a spreadsheet | Column names are matched for you, problems are listed line by line before anything is saved. |
| A free test election | Practice the whole flow with your board, in any state, as many times as you like. |
| A live demo account | See a full election from setup to certified result before you sign anything. |
Counting, certifying and keeping records
The part that decides whether the result survives a challenge.
| A count nobody can start early | Two key holders enter their shares after voting closes. The audit log records who and when. |
|---|---|
| A certified results report | Turnout, quorum, per-question results and the ballot count, as a PDF the board can file. |
| A final report by email | Sent to the board and anyone else you list, with the results attached. |
| A public ballot check | Owners confirm their ballot is in the count from your website, after results are published. |
| Retention that follows your state | One year in Washington, ten in Nevada, two in Indiana. Ballots and credentials are deleted when the period ends, unless a hold is on. |
| An exportable audit log | Every action, hash chained, ready for an inspector or an attorney. |
It looks like your association, not like a vendor
On the Signature plan the association is the sender. VoteStead stays visible, because owners should know who runs the election, but the community leads.
| Your logo and color | On ballots, emails and printed mail. |
|---|---|
| Designed emails | Not a wall of plain text, and not a template with someone else brand on it. |
| A celebration screen after voting | A thank-you moment when an owner finishes, which is a small thing that measurably helps people tell their neighbors they voted. |
| Plain and formal, if you prefer | The Standard plan keeps every message short and formal. |
How VoteStead compares
The right-hand column describes what the vendors listed below publish, checked on September 17, 2026. Prices change, so check them yourself before you decide. We name the vendors because a comparison against an unnamed competitor is worth nothing.
| VoteStead | What the market publishes | |
|---|---|---|
| Published prices | Every rate, add-on and discount on the pricing page, including the four cases we have to quote | Most publish a starting price or a plan ladder, with setup, mail and turnout services quoted separately |
| Per-ballot fee for online voting | None | Usually none for online ballots, but plan ladders step up by voter count |
| Mailed notice with an access code | $1.75 a piece with postage, or print them yourself at no charge | $2.15 to $3.15 a postcard at AssociationVoting; $6.00 a mailed ballot at vote.direct |
| Ballot setup by the vendor | Included in managed, and templates make self-serve setup a few minutes | AssociationVoting lists election setup from $250 |
| Free practice election | Unlimited, any community size, every state | Free tiers usually cap the voter list: 20 voters at ElectionBuddy, 25 at AssociationVoting |
| State law built into the product | A rule pack for every state that disables what the law does not allow and cites it | Legal guidance is typically a blog post or a support article, not a control in the software |
| Secret ballot method | Separate registry and ballot databases, sealed on the owner device, blind-signed tokens, 2-of-3 key split | Commonly a promise that staff do not look, with the vendor able to read ballots in principle |
| Owner ballot verification | A tracker code every owner can check publicly after the count | Receipts are common, public verification of the final count is rare |
| Who can start the count | Nobody until voting closes and 2 of 3 key holders act | Typically the vendor or an administrator with access |
| Independence | VoteStead never acts as your managing agent and sells nothing else to an association whose election it runs | Several vendors are owned by, or sell alongside, management services |
| Phone calls to owners | Never, so any call claiming to be VoteStead is a scam | Some offer call campaigns and phone voting |
Vendors we checked
- ElectionBuddy. Free up to 20 voters, $29 up to 350, $99 up to 1,000, from $299 up to 100,000. Their pricing page
- AssociationVoting. Free 1 to 25 voters, $99 for 26 to 125, $199 for 126 to 500, $299 for 501 to 5,000, annual plans $299 to $699, postcards $2.15 to $3.15 a piece, setup from $250. Their pricing page
- vote.direct. Self-serve elections from $4.99, managed from $199, mailed ballots $6.00 a piece. Their pricing page
A real total, not a starting price
A 150-unit association running a board election, with 60 owners who have no email and need a mailed access code.
| Line | VoteStead self-serve | VoteStead managed |
|---|---|---|
| Base | $49 | $199 |
| 150 units | $87.50 | $207.50 |
| 60 mailed notices | You print, $0 | $105 |
| Ballot setup | Included | Included |
| Reminders by email and text | Included | Included |
| Total | $136.50 | $511.50 |
For comparison, an association paying published rates elsewhere for the same election could pay $199 for the platform tier, $250 or more for ballot setup and $2.15 to $3.15 a postcard. We are not going to pretend that is every vendor, every time. Get both quotes in writing.
When another vendor is the better answer
- You want the cheapest possible ballot and nothing else. ElectionBuddy publishes $29 for an election with up to 350 voters. That is less than VoteStead for a community that size, and for a low-stakes poll it may be all you need. It does not include mailed access codes, state rule checks or a count nobody can start early.
- You need ranked-choice or single transferable vote. VoteStead counts plurality and multi-seat elections. OpaVote is built for ranked methods.
- Your election has to be run inside your management portal. If the requirement is that owners never leave one portal, a vendor bundled with that portal fits better. VoteStead stays independent on purpose.
- You want someone to phone owners. VoteStead does not make calls, at all.
If one of those is you, say so when you write to us and we will tell you so rather than sell you an election you do not need.
Common questions
Is VoteStead the cheapest option?
No. A basic ballot tool with a published $29 tier is cheaper for a mid-sized community. VoteStead is the cheaper way to run an election that has to hold up: state rules built in, mailed access codes at $1.75 a piece, ballot setup included and a count nobody can open early.
Can the board see how a unit voted?
No. Ballots are sealed on the owner device and stored in a separate database with no name, unit or linking timestamp. Two of three key holders open the count after voting closes, and even then the result is a tally, not a list of who voted which way.
What happens to owners without email?
They get a mailed notice with an access code and a PIN, and vote at votestead.com like everyone else, or ask the association for a paper ballot where state law gives them that right.
Does VoteStead work in my state?
Yes, in all 50 states and DC. Each has a rule pack that turns off what its law does not allow. Outside Washington, a binding vote also needs a sign-off letter from your association attorney until VoteStead counsel finishes reviewing that state.
Is there a contract or a subscription?
No. You pay per election, the price is quoted in writing first, and test elections are free.