Our Clients Ask Us: Quorom

Q: Our association board scheduled our annual meeting for next month. We always have trouble getting a quorum (our documents say that we need a majority of owners) so that we can actually elect new board members. Is there any way that we can amend our documents to change the definition of quorum?

A: YES. If you can get your membership to vote and agree to change the definition, the documents may be amended accordingly. A good option is to change the language to “a quorum constitutes all of the owners present at the meeting in person and by proxy”. However, the problem is that if your association is having trouble getting a quorum for an annual meeting, it will probably not be easy to get the votes necessary to amend your documents.

You can also try other techniques to improve the turnout at your annual meeting. For example, if you have to notice the meeting between 7 and 60 days beforehand, send a notice at 60 days and also a notice at 7 days as a reminder. Make sure to include proxies with your annual meeting notice. You may include language such as “Please sign the enclosed proxy and return to ABC Management as soon as possible. If you attend the meeting in person, the proxy will be returned to you at the door”. This will insure that if members plan on attending but cannot attend at the last minute or forget about the meeting, that you can still use their proxy for quorum purposes. Also include a return envelope with the proxies.

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