Associations Must Hold Membership Meetings to Elect Directors

State statutes provide that homeowners, condominium owners, and property owners’ associations are required to hold membership meetings as specified by the association’s bylaws, but no less often than elections of directors are required. Thus, it is mandatory that associations conduct membership meetings at least as often as the association is required to conduct an election of directors. Typically, an association’s bylaws provide that membership meetings are to be held annually but the frequency can be changed by an amendment to the bylaws so long as any other relevant statutory requirements are complied with (i.e. the requirement that membership meetings be conducted when an election of directors is mandated).

The association, acting through its board of directors, is responsible for arranging and conducting a membership meeting. Because the process necessitates compliance with requirements for meetings and elections that are specified in an association’s governing documents and applicable state statutes, the association’s board is generally guided through the process by attorneys, property managers, and other third-party service providers who are familiar with those requirements. Notwithstanding their reliance on the expertise of others, the association’s board of directors remains responsible for: