What Makes an Online Election Secure?

Running elections or member ballots for boards, strata schemes, unions, associations, or not-for-profits has changed. More committees and company secretaries are turning to online options to reach dispersed members and boost participation. But one question always comes up: how do you know it’s secure? I’ve spent years supporting organisations through AGMs, board elections, and governance […]

After years of helping committees run elections and AGMs, one thing stands out: the biggest headaches usually come down to what the governing document actually says—or doesn’t say—about technology. Electronic voting and hybrid meetings have become standard for many organisations, but they don’t automatically work unless your constitution, rules, or by-laws support them properly. Getting […]

If you’ve ever been in an AGM or member meeting where someone challenges the result, you know the tension it creates. The conversation quickly moves from the outcome itself to one simple demand: prove it was done properly. That’s where a solid election audit trail comes in. After years working with Australian committees, company secretaries, […]

After years helping organisations run everything from small strata AGMs to large company shareholder meetings, I’ve seen how a simple thing like quorum can throw a spanner in the works. Get it wrong and you risk invalid decisions, wasted time, and potential disputes. Get it right and your meetings run smoothly with decisions that actually […]

For Australian unions, the integrity of a ballot isn’t just a procedural detail—it is the bedrock of member trust and legal compliance. Whether you are running a high-stakes protected action ballot, an internal committee election, or an enterprise agreement vote, the shift toward digital infrastructure is clear. However, moving away from traditional paper-based methods introduces […]

For many not-for-profits, elections are one of the most important governance activities of the year. Whether you’re electing a board, committee, council, delegate group or office bearers, the process needs to do more than produce a result. It needs to produce confidence. Members need to trust that nominations were handled fairly, voting was conducted properly, […]

Co-operatives are built on member participation. Whether you’re running a community co-operative, a worker co-op, a housing co-op, an agricultural co-operative or a member-owned enterprise, the ability for members to vote on important decisions sits at the centre of good governance. The challenge is that member participation is not always easy. Members may be spread […]

Board elections can be straightforward. They can also become the most contested and politically sensitive event an organisation deals with all year. Whether you’re running a company AGM, a strata committee election, an incorporated association vote, a union ballot, or a member-based organisation election, the process matters just as much as the outcome. When members […]

When an election result is close, attention quickly turns to the count. Questions start appearing. Was every vote counted correctly? Were informal ballots assessed properly? Was the process transparent? This is where scrutineers matter. Most people involved in boards, associations, unions, clubs, strata organisations and company elections have heard the term. Fewer understand what scrutineers […]

Board elections often look straightforward on paper. Open nominations. Receive candidates. Hold a vote. Declare a result. The reality is usually more complicated. Every organisation has its own governance framework, constitutional requirements, membership structure and voting culture. A board election for a national association can look very different from one conducted by a strata organisation, […]