Strata democracy is based upon the conviction that there are extraordinary performing people, giving their best in ordinary committee member positions. Unit owners have the right to vote on matters that affect their investment. Every effort should be made to make this possible regardless of geographical location or their physical wellbeing at the time their meetings commence.

The Pandemic forced us to confront the future of dealing with matters that can be done, without having to attend, write, post, or shop in person. Like the model T Ford, it became the affordable option to replace horse and carts. The technology was available to us, we just needed a reason to use it.

Unfortunately, humans tend to resist change, and why would you change? What is the chief motivator for change? Retailers knows all too well the answer and that is availability, convenience and cost.

It became a requirement during the pandemic to have our goods delivered, to purchase online. Post the pandemic, retailers have continued to promote the advantages of online shopping. And why wouldn’t they! It is better value for all parties involved, and it saves everyone money. It is no wonder that in the last 2 years online voting has kicked up a gear!

You can Vote Now Online or using our App for Apple and Android users available in the App shop on your Smartphone. Vote Now has gone to great lengths to make it incredibly convenient for unit owners and committee members to cast their votes, from “anywhere” in the world, in “their” own time! I love clicking on my Vote Now App while watching Netflix to vote, it is so easy I don’t even miss the storyline of the show I’m watching!

Does Vote Now eliminate the need to attend in-person meetings? Yes, voters can cast their votes as soon as they receive their Vote Now message from their strata manager. Or they can wait until when the meeting is starting. Plus, they can attend the meeting simply by clicking on the embedded Zoom Link in their Vote Now invitation.

What if the voter decides to change their vote? Voters can change their vote right up until whenever their strata manager closes voting, at the start of the meeting or, at the end of each motion, right up until the meeting has been completed.

Sounds great but what about old school hard copy voters? If an owner attends with a paper voting form, or a proxy, or from the floor, your strata manager simply adds your votes into the Vote Now portal. The voting total will be automatically updated live during the meeting!

Does electronic voting result in increased owner participation? Yes! With the ease of online voting, more unit owners are likely to participate because they can there are less barriers. This leads to decisions being made that better represent your body corporate’s communities’ interests. And the bonus is that it is less time consuming for you!

Australia Post announced from today (15 April) they will only deliver letters every second day. It is another sign that it is time to change. The time saved not preparing documents, not printing, or posting and handling, plus the higher quorum success rate, plus the time not rescheduling meetings plus the associated costs of doing that, leads to only one answer… There’s no time like the present to Vote Now!