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Rhode Island HOA and condo electronic voting law
Can a homeowners or condominium association in Rhode Island hold its vote online? Here is what state law says and what it means for your board.
Yes. State law expressly allows electronic voting
Status: Express (condos). Main law: RIGL 34-36.1-3.08 (effective Jun 24, 2025).
Reviewed September 16, 2026. A summary of state law, not legal advice. Each association, and any management company acting for it, is responsible for confirming with its own attorney that a vote complies with state and local law and its governing documents. See our Terms of Service.
The rules at a glance
| Legal status | Allowed by statute (Express (condos)) |
|---|---|
| Main statute | RIGL 34-36.1-3.08 (effective Jun 24, 2025) |
| How electronic voting gets authorized | Electronic meeting with quorum, overriding documents |
| Secret ballot and counting | No state rule found. Check your governing documents. |
| Paper ballot option | Not required |
| Ballot retention | State law does not set a period |
A state statute speaks to electronic voting for community associations. Read how it gets authorized below: some statutes let the board decide, some require each owner to consent, and some let governing documents opt out.
Which Rhode Island rules apply to your association
| Your community | Law that governs the vote | What VoteStead requires |
|---|---|---|
| Homeowner associations | No clear authority RIGL 34-36.1-3.08 | 1 step the board confirms before a binding vote, plus an attorney sign-off letter |
| Condominium associations | Allowed by statute RIGL 34-36.1-3.08 (effective Jun 24, 2025) | No extra state steps before a binding vote |
What Rhode Island law requires, and what VoteStead does
The board adopted a resolution or rule authorizing electronic voting. RIGL 34-36.1-3.08
VoteStead: The board confirms the resolution on the launch checklist before a binding vote opens. Keep the resolution with the association records.
No statute clearly authorizes electronic voting here. The Rhode Island electronic voting statute covers condominiums. No clear provision was found for homeowner associations. RIGL 34-36.1-3.08
VoteStead: A binding vote needs a sign-off letter from the association's attorney confirming authority. The launch checklist will not let voting open without it. Test elections run without it.
Rhode Island condominium electronic voting happens at an electronic meeting with a quorum. Tie the vote to a noticed owner meeting. RIGL 34-36.1-3.08
VoteStead: The election form asks for the meeting time and will not save a binding election that closes outside the meeting day.
Ballot records
Rhode Island law does not set a retention period. Your documents and association records rules govern.
VoteStead keeps the certified result and the audit log, and deletes sealed ballots and voting credentials 1 year after voting closes by default. Ask for a longer hold and we keep them longer. Where your state sets a longer records period, that period applies to the records your association keeps, and the certified result and audit log are what you file.
Before your first online vote in Rhode Island
- The board adopted a resolution or rule authorizing electronic voting
- No statute clearly authorizes electronic voting here. The Rhode Island electronic voting statute covers condominiums. No clear provision was found for homeowner associations
- Rhode Island condominium electronic voting happens at an electronic meeting with a quorum. Tie the vote to a noticed owner meeting
- Collect owner emails and mobile numbers, and mailing addresses for everyone else
- Choose 3 key holders who are not candidates, not board members up for election and not the managing agent
Built from VoteStead's Rhode Island rule pack. A summary, not legal advice. Your association and its attorney confirm what applies to your community.
Running a Rhode Island vote with VoteStead
Available now
VoteStead runs Rhode Island elections with a rule pack that apply the state's consent, secret ballot and records rules. VoteStead's counsel reviewed it. The launch checklist blocks voting until the board confirms the required steps.
Features Rhode Island law turns off or changes
- Homeowner associations: Attorney letter before a binding vote. Rhode Island law does not clearly authorize electronic voting for homeowner associations, so the association's attorney confirms authority in a sign-off letter. Test elections run without it.
- Condominiums: Voting is tied to an owner meeting. Rhode Island condominium electronic voting happens at an electronic meeting with a quorum. Tie the vote to a noticed owner meeting.
Your responsibility for Rhode Island law
Your association, and any management company acting for it, is responsible for confirming that each vote complies with Rhode Island law, county and city rules, and your governing documents. This page and the Rhode Island rule pack summarize state law as of the reviewed date and do not cover local rules or your own documents. Have your attorney confirm your authority and your notice, quorum and counting rules before a binding vote. VoteStead is not responsible for a vote found invalid because of those determinations. See our Terms of Service.
What every VoteStead election includes
- Ballots sealed on the owner's device and stored with no name attached
- A 2-of-3 key split, so nobody opens ballots before voting closes
- Email and text invitations, plus mailed notices with access codes
- A live turnout board, quorum proxies and automatic reminders to owners who have not voted
- A tracker code so each owner confirms their ballot counted
Rhode Island questions
Can an HOA or condo association in Rhode Island vote online?
Yes. State law expressly allows electronic voting (Express (condos)). How it gets authorized: Electronic meeting with quorum, overriding documents. Main law: RIGL 34-36.1-3.08 (effective Jun 24, 2025). Reviewed September 16, 2026. This is a summary, not legal advice.
What are the Rhode Island secret ballot and vote counting rules?
The review found no Rhode Island statute requiring secret ballots for these votes. Your governing documents may require one. VoteStead seals every ballot so nobody sees how an owner voted.
Do owners in Rhode Island keep a paper ballot option?
Rhode Island rule: Not required. VoteStead prints paper ballot packets with a secret ballot envelope, logs each returned envelope and counts paper ballots with the online ones.
How long must a Rhode Island association keep ballots?
Rhode Island law does not set a period for these ballots. VoteStead keeps sealed ballots for 1 year after voting closes by default.
Is VoteStead available for Rhode Island associations?
Yes. VoteStead runs Rhode Island elections with a rule pack for the state's community association law, reviewed by VoteStead's counsel. Features the state does not allow are turned off. Your association, and any management company acting for it, remains responsible for confirming each vote complies with Rhode Island and local law and its governing documents.