加州民法典 §§ 5100、5120
無記名投票與計票
董事選舉以及業主協會（HOA）的其他若干事項，必須以無記名投票決定。在計票的時間和地點到來之前，任何人都不得開啟或查看選票——也不得查看計票表。系統出問題的，正是後半句。
民法典 § 5100 — 英文原文
條文以英文呈現，因為法律以英文頒佈，具有法律效力的是英文版本。本頁的說明為中文；如與條文有出入，以條文為準。
本條的歷史版本
通過比較加州立法顧問辦公室每個立法會期發佈一次的法典版本整理而成。最早的是2013至2014年版，其中《戴維斯-斯特林法》已採用現行編號，因此修改從其後的版本起記錄。這不只是存檔問題：民法典第5145條給予會員一年時間質疑選舉，適用的是選舉舉行當日的現行條文，而不是今天的條文。
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AB 5022022-01-01起生效
Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 517, Sec. 1. (AB 502) Effective January 1, 2022.
13處分項修改
查看修改內容
- (g)
Notwithstanding the secret balloting requirement in subdivision (a), when, as of the close of nominations for directors on the board, the number of director nominees is not more than the number of vacancies to be elected, as determined by the inspector or inspectors of the elections, the director nominees shall be considered elected by acclamation if all of the following are true: - (g)(1)
The association includes 6,000 or more units. - (g)(2)
The association provided individual notice of the election and the procedure for nominating candidates at least 30 days before the close of nominations. - (g)(3)
The association permits all candidates to run if nominated, except as follows: - (g)(3)(A)
An association shall disqualify a person from nomination as a candidate if the person is not a member of the association at the time of the nomination. This subdivision does not restrict a developer from making a nomination of a nonmember candidate consistent with the voting power of the developer, as set forth in the regulations of the Department of Real Estate and the association’s governing documents. - (g)(3)(B)
Through its bylaws or election operating rules adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 5105 only, an association may disqualify a person from nomination as a candidate based on any of the following: - (g)(3)(B)(i)
An association may disqualify a nominee if that person discloses, or if the association is aware or becomes aware of, a past criminal conviction that would either prevent the association from purchasing the fidelity bond coverage required by Section 5806 should the person be elected or terminate the association’s existing fidelity bond coverage as to that person should the person be elected. - (g)(3)(B)(ii)
Failure to be current in the payment of regular and special assessments, which are consumer debts subject to validation. If an association requires a nominee to be current in the payment of regular and special assessments, it shall also require a director to be current in the payment of regular and special assessments. An association may not disqualify a nominee for nonpayment of fines, fines renamed as assessments, collection charges, … - (g)(3)(I)
The nominee has paid the regular assessment or special assessment under protest pursuant to Section 5658. - (g)(3)(I)(II)
The nominee has entered into a payment plan pursuant to Section 5665. - (g)(3)(I)(III)
The nominee has not been provided the opportunity to engage in internal dispute resolution pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 5900) of Chapter 10. - (g)(3)(I)(III)(iii)
If the person, if elected, would be serving on the board at the same time as another person who holds a joint ownership interest in the same separate interest parcel as the person and the other person is either properly nominated for the current election or an incumbent director. - (g)(3)(I)(III)(iv)
If that person has been a member of the association for less than one year.
- (g)
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SB 7542020-01-01起生效
Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 858, Sec. 1.1. (SB 754) Effective January 1, 2020.
15處分項修改 · SB 323、SB 754的合併結果
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- (a)(1)Notwithstanding any other law or provision of the governing documents, elections regarding assessments legally requiring a vote, election and removal of directors, amendments to the governing documents, or the grant of exclusive use of common area pursuant to Section 4600 shall be held by secret ballot in accordance with the procedures set forth in this article.
- (a)(2)An association shall hold an election for a seat on the board of directors in accordance with the procedures set forth in this article at the expiration of the corresponding director’s term and at least once every four years.
- (g)Notwithstanding the secret balloting requirement in subdivision (a), when, as of the close of nominations for directors on the board, the number of director nominees is not more than the number of vacancies to be elected, as determined by the inspector or inspectors of the elections, the director nominees shall be considered elected by acclamation if all of the following are true:
- (g)(1)The association includes 6,000 or more units.
- (g)(2)The association provided individual notice of the election and the procedure for nominating candidates at least 30 days before the close of nominations.
- (g)(3)The association permits all candidates to run if nominated, except as follows:
- (g)(3)(A)An association shall disqualify a person from nomination as a candidate if the person is not a member of the association at the time of the nomination. This subdivision does not restrict a developer from making a nomination of a nonmember candidate consistent with the voting power of the developer, as set forth in the regulations of the Department of Real Estate and the association’s governing documents.
- (g)(3)(B)Through its bylaws or election operating rules adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 5105 only, an association may disqualify a person from nomination as a candidate based on any of the following:
- (g)(3)(B)(i)An association may disqualify a nominee if that person discloses, or if the association is aware or becomes aware of, a past criminal conviction that would either prevent the association from purchasing the fidelity bond coverage required by Section 5806 should the person be elected or terminate the association’s existing fidelity bond coverage as to that person should the person be elected.
- (g)(3)(B)(ii)Failure to be current in the payment of regular and special assessments, which are consumer debts subject to validation. If an association requires a nominee to be current in the payment of regular and special assessments, it shall also require a director to be current in the payment of regular and special assessments. An association may not disqualify a nominee for nonpayment of fines, fines renamed as assessments, collection charges, …
- (g)(3)(I)The nominee has paid the regular assessment or special assessment under protest pursuant to Section 5658.
- (g)(3)(I)(II)The nominee has entered into a payment plan pursuant to Section 5665.
- (g)(3)(I)(III)The nominee has not been provided the opportunity to engage in internal dispute resolution pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 5900) of Chapter 10.
- (g)(3)(I)(III)(iii)If the person, if elected, would be serving on the board at the same time as another person who holds a joint ownership interest in the same separate interest parcel as the person and the other person is either properly nominated for the current election or an incumbent director.
- (g)(3)(I)(III)(iv)If that person has been a member of the association for less than one year.
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AB 5692015-01-01起生效
Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 661, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2015.
1處分項修改
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- (f)Directors shall not be required to be elected pursuant to this article if the governing documents provide that one member from each separate interest is a director.
逐字轉載自加州立法顧問辦公室（Legislative Counsel）公佈的條文，並與第二個來源逐字核對（leginfo (Legislative Counsel official bulk code database, LAW_SECTION_TBL) · California Public Law (Public.Law)）。加州法律屬於政府法令，不受版權保護。本頁為非官方轉載——官方版本由立法顧問辦公室在leginfo.legislature.ca.gov公佈，以該版本為準。
機器可讀：/data/5100.json——同一條文，附分項錨點、日期和來源。
民法典 § 5120 — 英文原文
條文以英文呈現，因為法律以英文頒佈，具有法律效力的是英文版本。本頁的說明為中文；如與條文有出入，以條文為準。
本條的歷史版本
通過比較加州立法顧問辦公室每個立法會期發佈一次的法典版本整理而成。最早的是2013至2014年版，其中《戴維斯-斯特林法》已採用現行編號，因此修改從其後的版本起記錄。這不只是存檔問題：民法典第5145條給予會員一年時間質疑選舉，適用的是選舉舉行當日的現行條文，而不是今天的條文。
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AB 21592025-01-01起生效
Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 383, Sec. 4. (AB 2159) Effective January 1, 2025.
2處分項修改
查看修改內容
- (a)… elections, or the designee of the inspector or inspectors of elections, in public at a properly … the counting and tabulation of the votes.
NoA person, including a member of the association or an employee of the management company, shall not open or otherwise review any ballotprior tobefore the time and place at which the ballots are counted and tabulated. The inspector or inspectors of elections, or the designee of the inspector or inspectors of elections, may verify the member’s information … secret ballot is received by the inspector or inspectors of elections, it shall be irrevocable. - (c)A person, including a member of the association or an employee of the management company, shall not open or otherwise review any tally sheet of votes cast by electronic secret ballots before the time and place at which the ballots are counted and tabulated.
- (a)… elections, or the designee of the inspector or inspectors of elections, in public at a properly … the counting and tabulation of the votes.
逐字轉載自加州立法顧問辦公室（Legislative Counsel）公佈的條文，並與第二個來源逐字核對（leginfo (Legislative Counsel official bulk code database, LAW_SECTION_TBL) · California Public Law (Public.Law)）。加州法律屬於政府法令，不受版權保護。本頁為非官方轉載——官方版本由立法顧問辦公室在leginfo.legislature.ca.gov公佈，以該版本為準。
機器可讀：/data/5120.json——同一條文，附分項錨點、日期和來源。
什麼必須保密，對誰保密
這項要求並不是說協會在公佈結果之前要對結果保密，而是說：會員與其選票內容之間的關聯，在任何時候都不能為任何無權知悉的人所獲取——包括董事會，包括物業經理，也包括操作軟件的人。
《加州民法典》第5100條規定了哪些事項必須採用無記名投票。董事選舉是顯而易見的情形；管理文件的修訂、會費表決以及授予公共區域專用權，是大多數協會會遇到的其他情形。在該條適用的情況下，保密是結構性的，而不是程序性的：您不能靠一項“大家不會去看”的政策來滿足這一要求。
雙層信封如何做到保密
紙本方式把必須分開的兩樣東西分開。會員填好選票，將其封入無標記的內信封。內信封再放入外信封，外信封由會員簽名並標明其單元。
計票時，監察員先處理外信封——核查投票資格、在選民名冊上登記、處理重複投票——然後才把外信封與密封的內信封分開；內信封在任何一個被開啟之前，都會先被混在一起。投票資格由一件物品確認，選票由另一件物品承載，兩者從不在同一時刻落在同一人手中。
電子方式的對應做法是同一個思路，只是更難
民法典第5110條(c)(4)(B)要求電子系統將識別資料與選票永久分離，“使選票不可能與特定會員聯繫起來”——同時還要向該會員發送回執，證明其選票已經投出。這兩項要求相互牽制，必須一併設計。一個保存了關聯、再把它藏在某項權限後面的系統，兩項要求都沒有滿足。
計票表同樣受到保護
民法典第5120條禁止在計票的時間和地點之前開啟或查看選票或計票表。後一個名詞起了大部分作用，卻經常被忽視。
這意味著在投票進行期間，協會不得查看即時計票。董事會不行，物業經理不行，儀表板也不行。道理一說就明白：如果主持選舉的人能夠看到票數差距，他們就能決定要多努力去爭取剩餘的選票，以及向誰爭取。
即時顯示法定人數沒有問題。即時顯示結果則不行。
這是設計時必須把握的區別，而幾乎沒有人把它講清楚。
有多少人已經投票是投票率數據。它不是計票表，不會透露任何人的選擇，即時追蹤它既合法又必要——在大多數協會，操作上的難題全在於能否達到法定人數。按投票渠道、按單元、按投票權重統計的人數，以及對照通過門檻的進度條：都沒有問題。
他們怎麼投的就是計票結果。在計票之前把它展示出來——無論展示給誰——正是第5120條所禁止的。一個在投票期間向管理員提供結果預覽的平臺，提供的不是一項功能，而是一個缺陷；民法典第5145條會把它視為一項違法行為，協會隨後必須證明其無害。
實踐中出錯的地方
- 管理員預覽。至少有一個被廣泛使用的社區平臺明確說明，物業經理和獲授權人員可以在會議之前看到提交的內容。無論這有什麼用處，它都與舉行無記名投票不相容。
- 提前計算某一渠道的選票。在電子投票尚未截止時就拆開紙本選票——為了“提前把工作做掉”——即使沒有公佈任何結果，也是違反第5120條的問題。見混合選舉。
- 調試權限。能在資料庫中讀取選票內容的技術支持工程師，就是一個能在計票前查看選票的人。分離必須是真實的，而不能只靠操作紀律。
- 導出。一份把會員姓名與其選擇對應起來的電子表格，無論出於什麼原因生成，都正是法條要防止的東西——而且它往往會在選舉結束很久以後仍留在各人的收件箱裡。
計票本身
選票在事先公佈的時間和地點計票，會員有權到場觀察。計票由監察員主持，而不是董事會。觀察並不是一種禮遇——它是使結果站得住腳的一部分，因為它產生了不受僱於協會的程序見證人。
計票完成後，這些材料就成為須保存並供查閱的記錄，此時便由民法典第5125條和第5200條接手。
保密在選舉結束後依然有效
會員事後查閱選舉材料的權利，並不會讓選票重新變成一張誰投了什麼的對照圖。保存下來的記錄必須讓人能夠核驗計票，卻無法還原個人的選擇——這一特性，系統要麼從一開始就具備，要麼日後再也無法補上。
相關內容
- § 5110——監察員，以及電子投票的五項技術要求。
- § 5130——委託書，以及為什麼保密不會經由委託書傳遞。
- § 5145——選舉受到質疑時，保密缺陷的代價。
- 混合選舉——為什麼對某一渠道的部分計票會破壞這一點。
- 公司法典 §§ 7513、7615——不開會的書面選票，以及為什麼§ 5100仍然適用於它們。