What you get, and what it costs
VoteStead runs secret-ballot elections for homeowner and condominium associations by email, text, mailed access code and paper ballot. This page lists every feature, names the vendors we compared against, and says where one of them is the better answer.
Six reasons boards pick VoteStead
Each one links to the page where you can check it yourself. A claim a board cannot verify is worth nothing in front of owners.
Your state law is in the software, not in a support article
A rule pack for all 50 states and DC, reviewed by counsel. Where the law does not allow a vote, the option is switched off in the console with the statute named. Where the vote has to close at a meeting, the form refuses to save without the meeting time. Where the law is unclear, the launch checklist holds the election until your attorney signs off.
Nobody opens the ballots early, including VoteStead
Ballots are sealed in the owner browser, stored in a second database with no name, unit or timestamp, and signed with a token VoteStead never sees. The key is split three ways and two holders have to act after voting closes. That is the design, not a policy promise.
Every price is published
Rates, every add-on, the optional annual plan and the cases that need a written quote are all on one page. No starting price with the real number in an email later. Your board works out its own total before it talks to anyone.
The owners who never open email still vote
Four ways in: email link, text link, a mailed letter with an access code and PIN, and a printed paper ballot counted alongside the online ones. Reminders go only to units with no ballot in. Quorum shows as it happens, by units or allocated interest, so nobody finds out on the last day that the vote is short.
An owner can prove their own ballot was counted
Every voter gets a tracker code and checks it against the published list after the count, without revealing any choice. Boards get a hash-chained audit log they can export, so an inspector or an attorney can retrace every step.
VoteStead sells your association nothing else
No management contract, no maintenance work, no referral fee to the manager who recommended us, and no revenue split with anyone who advises your board. The people counting have nothing to gain from the result, which is the question a challenged election usually turns on.
The short version
How VoteStead compares
The middle column is what VoteStead does. The right-hand column is what the three vendors below publish on their own pricing pages, read on October 8, 2026. Prices change, so check them yourself before you decide. Vendors are named and linked, so you can check every figure at the source.
| VoteStead | What the market publishes | |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricesWhy it matters: A board that cannot see the total before it calls cannot compare two vendors, and the add-ons are where an election doubles. | Every rate and add-on on the pricing page, including the four cases we have to quote, and no discounts to negotiate | Most publish a starting price or a plan ladder, with setup, mail and turnout services quoted separately |
| State law built into the productWhy it matters: A tool that does not check the statute will run a vote the statute may not authorize, and the challenge can arrive months later, after the assessment is billed. | A rule pack for every state that disables what the law does not allow, cites the statute and blocks the launch until the state steps are done | Varies. Worth asking any vendor whether state rules are enforced in the product or published as guidance |
| Who can start the countWhy it matters: If one person can see a running tally, every losing candidate has a reason to ask who was watching. | Nobody until voting closes and 2 of 3 key holders act | Varies. Worth asking who can see a running tally, and whether anything prevents it |
| Secret ballot methodWhy it matters: Secrecy a board can explain in one sentence is easier to defend than a policy commitment owners have to take on trust. | Separate registry and ballot databases, sealed on the owner device, blind-signed tokens, 2-of-3 key split | Varies. Worth asking whether the vendor could read a ballot if it chose to, or whether the design prevents it |
| An independent third key holderWhy it matters: Three shares all held inside the community is the weakest point in a self-run election. California requires an inspector with no other paid contract with the association, and your attorney can confirm how that applies to your community. | $149 an election on self-serve, included on managed | condoelects charges $450 an election for an inspector of elections and waives it when the vote runs entirely online. vote.direct charges $300 for an inspector service and $499 and up for a managed election with one |
| Mailed notice with an access codeWhy it matters: Most rosters carry owners with no usable email, and those owners often decide whether quorum is met. Mail is where that bill lands. | $1.75 a letter, $1.25 a reminder postcard and $4.50 a full paper ballot packet, postage included, or print them yourself at no charge on either tier | $2.15 to $3.15 a postcard at AssociationVoting, $3.00 a mailed access letter and $6.00 a printed ballot packet at vote.direct, and postal mail only on ElectionBuddy Professional from $299 |
| Ballot setup by the vendorWhy it matters: Setup is a one-time fee for work your board pays for once per election, every election. | Included in managed, and 21 templates make self-serve setup a few minutes | AssociationVoting lists election setup from $250, vote.direct setup and launch from $99 |
| What you are replacingWhy it matters: If your association currently votes on paper, that budget line is the comparison worth running. Compare it against the figures here rather than against a list price. | A 100-unit managed election with every owner mailed a notice is $516.50, and the same election self-serve with your board printing its own letters is $149.99 | condoelects quotes paper at $3.05 to $4.80 a unit plus a $450 inspector fee, which it works out as $1,515 for a 100-unit annual election on paper, or about $140 for the same election run entirely online |
| California, since AB 2159Why it matters: California has more community associations than any other state, and Civ. Code 5110(b) is the part a challenge tends to turn on. Checking who satisfies it is worth doing before you buy. | The California rule pack cites Civ. Code 5100 to 5145, turns off the vote types the statute does not allow electronically, requires the election operating rule and the independent inspector before a launch, and the independent key holder fills that inspector role | Varies. Worth asking a California vendor whether the inspector requirement is handled in the product or left to the board and its attorney |
| Call for nominationsWhy it matters: Nominations are where a contested election starts. A recorded reason for every rejection is what keeps that part defensible. | Included. Owners nominate online with a statement, the board approves or rejects each one with a recorded reason, and approved candidates become the ballot | AssociationVoting lists nomination collection at $100 to $200 |
| Per-ballot fee for online votingWhy it matters: A charge that rises with turnout is a charge for succeeding at the one thing the election is for. | None. A community where every owner votes pays the same as one where half do | Online ballots are commonly included, though several vendors price in bands by voter count, so a larger turnout can move you up a band |
| Free practice electionWhy it matters: A board that has run one practice election already knows where the sharp edges are before the vote that counts. | Unlimited, any community size, every state, with real emails and texts | Free tiers usually cap the voter list: 20 voters at ElectionBuddy, 25 at AssociationVoting and vote.direct |
| Owner ballot verificationWhy it matters: One owner who can check their own ballot is worth more than any assurance from the board. | A tracker code every owner can check publicly after the count | Receipts are common. Worth asking whether an owner can verify their own ballot against the published final count |
| IndependenceWhy it matters: A vendor paying the person who recommended it has an interest in keeping that person happy. Under Florida law effective 2024, soliciting or accepting such a kickback is a third-degree felony for an association manager or a board member. | VoteStead never acts as your managing agent, takes no referral fee and sells nothing else to an association whose election it runs | Varies. Worth asking whether the vendor pays a referral fee or revenue share to anyone who recommended it to your board |
Vendors we checked
- association.vote. $0.69 a homeowner for email delivery, $0.59 if you mail, $0.49 for US mail, with no setup fee and no annual fee. Their pricing page
- condoelects. Paper $3.05 to $4.80 a unit, electronic $0.25 to $0.38 a unit, inspector of elections $450 an election and waived when the election is held entirely online, worked as $1,515 for a 100-unit paper annual election. Their pricing page
- ElectionBuddy. Free up to 20 voters, $29 up to 350, $99 up to 1,000, Professional from $299 up to 100,000, which is the only tier with mailed ballots and postal notices. 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, election setup from $250, nomination collection $100 to $200, proxy voting $100 to $200. Their pricing page
- vote.direct. Free up to 25 voters, self-serve $4.99 to $149.99 by voter band, annual plans $99 to $1,999, setup and launch from $99, managed from $199, managed with an inspector from $499, inspector service $300, mailed access letters $3.00 each, printed ballot packets $6.00 each. Their pricing page
Published rates only. Where a vendor quotes privately, we say so rather than guess. If you hold a written quote from any of them, send it over and we will set the same election out line by line against our published rates, so your board can compare like with like.
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 | $89.99 | $199 |
| 150 units | $87.50 | $207.50 |
| 60 mailed notices | You print, $0 | $105 |
| Ballot setup | Included | Included |
| Call for nominations | Included | Included |
| Reminders by email and text | Included | Included |
| Total | $177.49 | $511.50 |
The same election bought at published rates elsewhere: a $199 platform tier for 126 to 500 voters, $250 for ballot setup, $100 to $200 for nomination collection, and $2.15 to $3.15 for each of the 60 postcards. That reaches $678 to $838 before anyone mails a ballot packet, and a postcard is not a mailed access code. Those are one vendor's published rates on the date above, not every vendor on every election. 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. Mailed access codes, state rule checks and a count nobody can start early are not in it, and its postal mail services start at the $299 Professional tier.
- 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 the lowest price per unit and nothing else. association.vote publishes $0.69 a homeowner for email delivery, with no base fee and no annual fee. For a community under about 300 units that is less than VoteStead, and if what you need is ballots delivered rather than a statute enforced and a count nobody can open early, it may be the right answer. Below 25 units VoteStead is a flat $49, which closes most of that gap.
- You hold many small polls a year. VoteStead Annual is $349 a year for unlimited self-serve elections, and the pricing page shows the point at which it beats paying per election. vote.direct publishes annual plans from $99 and AssociationVoting from $299. For frequent low-stakes polling those cost less, and if nothing you vote on is likely to be challenged, that may be the better fit.
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.
Built around the law in your state
VoteStead starts from the statute that governs your community rather than from a general-purpose ballot.
| 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 the law named beside it. |
| 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. |
| Paper ballots counted with online ballots | Printed packets with a secret ballot envelope and a signed return envelope. Staff log each return envelope, open the secret ballots only after voting closes, and enter them into the same sealed ballot box. The first ballot from a unit counts. Always on in the states that require a paper option. Print and mail the packets yourself at no charge, or have VoteStead do it at $4.50 a packet, postage out and a prepaid return envelope back. |
| 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. |
| Rule packs reviewed by counsel in every state | VoteStead counsel reviewed the rule pack for all 50 states and DC. Where a state law does not clearly authorize electronic voting, the launch checklist asks for a letter from your association attorney before a binding vote. |
A ballot with no name on it
A ballot is stored with no name, no unit and no linking timestamp, so there is nothing for a board, a manager or VoteStead to look up. The one thread back to a single ballot is the owner tracker code, and only the owner holds it.
| 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, two shares open the count, and only after voting closes. A single board member cannot peek at a running tally. Managed elections seat VoteStead, an independent inspector and one board member not up for election. A self-serve board names its own three holders, or adds VoteStead as the independent holder so no two people inside the community open ballots on their own. |
| 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 by email, by text and by mail, 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. Print them yourself at no charge on any tier, or have VoteStead print, stuff, stamp and mail them at $1.75 a letter and $1.25 a card, postage included. Mailing is an add-on on self-serve and on managed, never a plan you buy into. |
| One number owners can check | Election texts come from 1-844-398-VOTE (844-398-8683), used for nothing else, and published on the help center, the contact page and the text opt-in page, so an owner who wants to confirm a message is real has somewhere to look. Support and contact runs on a separate number, 1-855-573-VOTE. |
| 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.
| A call for nominations | Owners nominate themselves or another owner online, with a candidate statement. The board approves or rejects each one with a recorded reason, and the approved candidates become the ballot, with statements online and in the paper packet. |
|---|---|
| 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 you set against your state rule | Your state page shows the records period your state sets, for example one year in Washington, ten in Nevada and two in Indiana. VoteStead deletes sealed ballots and voting credentials one year after voting closes by default, keeps the certified result and the audit log, and holds everything longer when the association asks. The association keeps its own records for whatever period its state requires. |
| 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 carrying another brand. |
| A celebration screen after voting | A thank-you moment when an owner finishes, a small thing that gives an owner something to mention to a neighbor. |
| Plain and formal, if you prefer | The Standard plan keeps every message short and formal. |
Common questions
More in the help center, and the question box answers in one line.
Is VoteStead the cheapest option?
No. ElectionBuddy publishes a $29 tier that costs less for a mid-sized community. VoteStead is built for the election that has to hold up afterwards: state rules in the software, mailed access codes at $1.75 a piece, ballot setup included and a count that cannot open before voting closes.
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, so a board has nothing to look up. 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. The one exception needs an owner tracker code alongside two key shares, and only the owner holds that code.
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 vote on a paper ballot. VoteStead prints paper ballot packets, logs each returned envelope and counts paper and online ballots together.
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. VoteStead counsel has reviewed the rule pack for every state. Where state law does not clearly authorize electronic voting, your association attorney confirms authority before a binding vote.
Is there a contract or a subscription?
No. You pay per election, the price is quoted in writing first, and test elections are free.
Run one for free before you decide
A test election sends real emails and texts to your board, in your state, with your ballot. Nothing binding, nothing charged.