TownSq New Feature Release: Digital Voting

The primary goal of TownSq as a SaaS company has always been to maximize productivity, efficiency, and collaboration in the communities we serve. To achieve this goal, we are constantly cooking up innovative and fresh features for communities to utilize within our solution. These features include architectural requests, a website design tool, assignments and requests, the community forum, and many more. Over time, we’ve found that communities who use TownSq’s full suite of features achieve a better experience in their HOA, from property managers to boards, and individual homeowners as well.

And now, TownSq is excited to announce its newest feature available right now within the app: Digital Voting. As you read through this article, you will learn the tools you can utilize within the Digital Voting feature and how it can benefit your community board, residents, and the relationship between the two. 

What is Digital Voting?

Digital Voting in TownSq enables communities to increase engagement and make better decisions by taking the entire community vote process online, accessible from a smartphone, desktop, or tablet at any possible time.

The process of Digital Voting in TownSq can be broken down into three simple steps:

1. Board members create and post a vote for the community to access while setting permissions for who and who cannot see the poll. 
2. Once the community has been granted access, users of the TownSq app can discuss and submit their vote from anywhere.
3. Lastly, the vote is closed, data is analyzed, and a decision is made. The results of the vote can be sent out to users of TownSq as an update if a TownSq administrator wishes.

Why Digital Voting?

1. For Administrators  

• For managers and board members, Digital Voting by TownSq enables leaders in the community hierarchy to increase collaboration seamlessly in an HOA by granting users of the software the capability to participate in meaningful community decisions. The tangible benefits of using the new Digital Voting feature are:
• Easily meet quorum requirements;
• Hassle-free set up;
• Increase transparency and community engagement;
• Access convenient data seamlessly from the TownSq app by limiting printing and mailing, in turn reducing costs;
• All data and outcomes stored directly in TownSq with easy to visualize graphics or spreadsheets;
• Access to the latest information from the community at any time to keep track of resident satisfaction.

2. For Voters

• Voters gain a unique, user-friendly, and accessible experience for participating in their community. When voters in an HOA cast their decision, they are making their voice heard, ensuring that they have a say in the outcome of an important election. Voters in TownSq will be able to achieve: 
• Participation in a vote from anywhere on their smartphone or computer;
• Increased collaboration from residents with their board;
• Increase trust and comfortability in an HOA by giving all parties equal access;
• Reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection by adopting a completely remote process for collaboration.

Administrative Features of Digital Voting

• Create customizable ballots with:
• Unlimited questions;
• Title;
• Description;
• Allotted time for access.
• Determine the voting group per ballot: Set the specific pool of voters for each poll, with the ability to broadcast to the entire community or a small group.
• Upload and include links or documents related to voting: Easily attach different documents, PDFs, or schematics to a poll for voters to access before making a decision.
• Track users that have voted for each open ballot in real-time.
• Visualize the progress of each open vote: See what percentage of units have contributed to the vote to ensure the quorum has been met.
• Track partial and final results of each ballot.
• Generate detailed reports of the final results: automatically export the final decision and the data associated with it in XLS or PDF format once voting has closed.

Voter Features of Digital Voting

• Receive push notifications to your smartphone or email notification as soon as an open vote has become accessible for you.
• Gain access to questions, attachments, and additional details upon entering the vote itself.
• Leave feedback, comments, or concerns directly within the poll for other voters or decision-makers to see before submitting a vote.
• The option to “abstain” or deny participation in the vote.
• Review final ballot results once the vote has completed (if shared by the administrators).

The Advantages of Digital Voting in an HOA

• Create
• Set specific time-frame for Vote to be open to residents;
• Create customizable ballots with any amount of questions;
• Upload any necessary links or documents related to the poll;
• Utilize a meeting to discuss the vote by displaying it directly within the voting screen.
  
• Results
• Data displayed in graphical form;
• Give residents access to the results or keep it confidential;
• Make data-driven decisions based upon the votes to ensure community feedback always takes precedence;
• View votes based on the unit fractio

• Data
• Access to real-time data reporting;
• Track the progress of the voting (ex: 40% of units have voted);
• Access to resident comments regarding the vote;
• Generate detailed reports of the final results in XLS or PDF once voting has closed.

TownSq helps communities make the jump to digital operations

TownSq functions at maximum capacity when management companies & their communities utilize the software together. As users, managers, boards, & homeowners gain visibility into every level of community management with masterful communication & collaboration.

How TownSq can help a single community: 

Communities and HOAs cannot function without their board of directors, but maintaining a community’s value while impressing homeowners is no walk in the park…until now. Communities can:

• Provide real-time updates of the latest community happenings;
• Submit and manage architecture requests;
• Send targeted communications to board members and committees;
• Create a customizable HOA website for your community;
• And more…

How TownSq can help a management company with multiple communities:

Unlike other community management software, TownSq Business is the first enterprise solution built for convenience, efficiency, and ease-of-use in mind. Your property management company will:

• Optimize performance, saving valuable time and resources;
• Increase the level of customer service, allowing you to retain and grow your customer base;
• Boost revenue without increasing costs;
• Offer communities access to everything listed to the left.

With the TownSq app, management companies and HOA's make the jump to digital operations seamlessly. TownSq is software tailored to help property managers, board members, and homeowners streamline the community living experience from top to bottom.

Accessible via smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer, TownSq gives management companies and communities the edge they need to provide the best community experience possible.