Question: Leading up to the meeting, can all submitted motions be condensed onto a one-page summary voting sheet listing the motion, “Yes,” “No,” or “Abstain” and a short description?
Motions for the AGM can be up to 15 pages long and are received by email. Many owners don’t have the time to come to the meeting and don’t vote by email because it requires printing out all the pages, filling them in, scanning them, and then returning them. Can the motions be condensed onto a one-page voting sheet with the motion number and “Yes,” “No,” or “Abstain” printed beside them on the same line with a short three- or four-word description?
Answer: Your scheme needs to implement online voting. It’s so much easier for voters. If your manager doesn’t offer this, you should ask why.
The real answer to your question is that your scheme needs to implement online voting. It’s so much easier for voters. If your manager doesn’t offer this, you should ask why.
That said, there is no fixed format for presenting voting papers. I have seen examples of condensed voting papers along the lines you have mentioned. Are these legal? You may not know until anyone challenges them, and the answer will probably depend on how you present the rest of the information required in an AGM document.
If you are talking about sending out a one-pager AGM notice/voting paper with no other documentation, you will likely find yourself in trouble quickly. However, if you send out the condensed voting sheet along with the full motions, explanatory notes and other required documentation in a package that is clear and easy for owners to understand, that may be OK. It’s hard to be definitive without looking at an example, but variations of this are what happens with most notices as explanatory notes and supplementary materials are often separated from the motion and voting section of the document.
As a next step, you may want to do is speak to your body corporate manager. Explain your concerns with the notice and see if they can make any changes. It’s certainly the case that the documentation should be as clear as it can be.
I would express some concerns over the rationale behind your question – that owners don’t vote because they can’t deal with the documentation. While I’m sure this is the case for many people, owners need to understand that when they buy into a body corporate complex, they are taking on a series of financial and legal responsibilities that come with that. The AGM is the key point each year where scheme policies are established. Going through the paperwork may be complicated or boring, but it is also necessary to regulate your home and investment. It’s absurd to think that every year owners will spend countless hours refining their car insurance, selecting an internet provider and agonising over which socks to buy on Temu, but because, as you say, there are too many voting forms to print, will casually shrug off the responsibility for a property that cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars.
There’s a complicated psychology behind this process, and changing opinions isn’t easy. Making the voting process easier has a part to play, and that’s why I recommend online voting. Still, you might also consider contacting owners at AGM time and encouraging them to participate. A push in the right direction can sometimes make a big difference.
This post appears in Strata News #707.
William Marquand Tower Body Corporate E: willmarquand@towerbodycorporate.com.au P: 07 5609 4924