Cummlative Voting vs. Single Non-Transferable Voting (SNTV)

There has been some talk over the years in some communities to change board member terms and how votes are cast.  Trust me the authors of the governing documents are not stupid people.  They may not have been able to predict how people would twist and justify the words in the documents.  But, they know a thing or two about the structure of a governing body and politics.

Changing from a cumulative voting system and single term board members to a single vote system or Single Non-Transferable Voting System (SNTV) and multiple year terms.  Creates problems and removes the boards ability to handle problems from within.

Cumulative Voting 

A cumulative voting system allows for multiple winners, the voter can concentrate all there votes for on candidate or spread them out, it reduces the ability for tactical voting or candidates running just to draw votes away from other candidates, keeps candidates from having to campaign and mud slinging, and is the voter can base who to vote for on merit and not on who is likely to win.

Using cumulative voting the ownership votes in multiple people to the board as board members and not to a specific seat.  It's a single election system. Then the board members chose or appoint Officers and Committee Chairs. A board member does not have to be a committee chair and a committee chair does not have to be a board member. In this type of system the board members who appointed the Officers and Committee Chairs are the only people that can vote to remove them from the seat. However, if removed a person holding an Officer or Committee Chair still remain as a board member. Since the person was voted onto the board as a board member by the membership. Only a vote of the membership can remove them entirely from the board.


This type of system allows the membership to change the number of board members yearly.  It allows the board to make changes if people quit in the middle of the year, makes it easier to handle difficult people from within, create committees as needed, allows board members to switch to less demanding seats if they cannot perform duties of the seat appointed, & allows for more involvement from owners without having to be a board member.

 Single Non-Transferable Voting System (SNTV)

A Single Non-Transferable Voting System (SNTV) each voter is given on vote only.  This is also known a plurality of votes in which the winner gets the largest share of votes but not the majority of votes.  Voting is done by district and only one candidate can win.  Therefore, they must run for a specific open seat and each seat has it's own election.  The district giving a single candidate the highest percentage of votes wins not the candidate with the majority of the votes.  If district 1 gives candidate A 42% and district 2 gives candidate D 20% and district 3 gives candidate B 38% of the votes candidate A wins.  One election cannot be used to elect multiple candidates.    

If a single vote system with multiple year terms are used for board members it changes how we determine who to vote for.   Since the candidate would be voted into a specific seat for multiple years.  If board members were to hold office for 2 year terms the number of board members is permanently set.  If the max number of board members is set at 7 and if 3 seats are open it leaves 4 people serving in the seat they were voted into to.  Meaning only 3 specific seats are open to be filled.  The open seats would be say Landscape Director, Treasurer, and President.  Two of these seats are Officers and one is a Committee Chair or board member position.  If 4 people run for a seat 2 for Treasurer and 2 for Committee Chair and none for President.  The President seat would remain unfilled for 2 year terms and a SNTV system is used.

Using a SNTV system the ownership votes people into specific positions either an Officer or Committee Chair.  There is no ability for the board to create committees or appoint committee chairs or create committees.  It also prevents nominations from the floor and write-in nominations on ballots.  It also creates a more political enviroment within the community.  Politics is best left to those who like to get dirty.