During the pandemic we saw associations move to virtual meetings and electronic voting. Some association documents require in-person meetings and include specific language on how the voting process should work.
In Delaware, the state statute governing Community Associations allows for remote or virtual meetings. As state statute supersedes the governing documents, associations may hold virtual meetings.
In Maryland, the associations must follow the governing documents. If the documents are silent, then associations may have remote and virtual meetings. Currently, Maryland House Bill 1023 and Senate Bill 686 are working to allow virtual meetings for all Community Associations.
In synopsis: The bill authorizes Community Associations to authorize certain meetings to be conducted or attended by certain electronic means under certain circumstances. It allows for a person who attends virtually to be counted present for quorum and voting purposes. The bills are working their way through the legislature, and if passed, will be effective October 1, 2021. The Community Association Institute (CAI) advocacy group is in favor of the bill. Read the entire bill here.
Need more information on virtual meetings? Check out the CAI Chesapeake Chapter’s webinar “Using Technology to Improve Your Virtual Meetings” on April 16th – Find out more and register today.
