§ 55.1-1953 — Meetings of unit owners' association and executive board; voting by unit owners; proxies

Virginia § 55.1-1953

• Jurisdiction: Virginia
• Title 55.1: Property and Conveyances
• Subtitle IV: Common Interest Communities
• Ch. 19: Virginia Condominium Act
• Art. 3: Management of Condominium

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A. The bylaws may allocate to each unit depicted on plats and plans that comply with subsections A and B of § 55.1-1920 a number of votes in the unit owners' association proportionate to the undivided interest in the common elements appertaining to each such unit.

B. Otherwise, the bylaws shall allocate to each such unit an equal number of votes in the unit owners' association, subject to the following exception: Each convertible space so depicted shall be allocated a number of votes in the unit owners' association proportionate to the size of each such space, vis-a-vis the aggregate size of all units so depicted, while the remaining votes in the unit owners' association shall be allocated equally to the other units so depicted.

C. Since a unit owner may be more than one person, if only one of such persons is present at a meeting of the unit owners' association, that person shall be entitled to cast the votes appertaining to that unit. If more than one of such persons is present, the vote appertaining to that unit shall be cast only in accordance with their unanimous agreement unless the condominium instruments expressly provide otherwise, and such consent shall be conclusively presumed if any one of them purports to cast the votes appertaining to that unit without protest being made forthwith by any of the others to the person presiding over the meeting. For purposes of this subsection, "person" is deemed to include any natural person having authority to execute deeds on behalf of any person, excluding natural persons, that is, either alone or in conjunction with another person, a unit owner.

D. The votes appertaining to any unit may be cast pursuant to a proxy duly executed by or on behalf of the unit owner, or, in cases where the unit owner is more than one person, by or on behalf of all such unit owners. No such proxy shall be revocable except by actual notice to the person presiding over the meeting, by the unit owner or by any of such persons, that it be revoked. Except to the extent otherwise provided in the condominium instruments, any proxy is void if it is not dated, or if it purports to be revocable without the required notice. Any proxy shall be void if not signed by or on behalf of the unit owner. If the unit owner is more than one person, any such unit owner may object to the proxy at or prior to the meeting, whereupon the proxy shall be deemed revoked. Any proxy shall terminate after the first meeting held on or after the date of that proxy or any recess or adjournment of that meeting. The proxy shall include a brief explanation of the effect of leaving the proxy uninstructed.

E. Unless expressly prohibited by the condominium instruments, a unit owner may vote at a meeting of the unit owners' association in person, by proxy, or by absentee ballot. Such voting may take place by electronic means, provided that the executive board has adopted guidelines for such voting by electronic means. Unit owners voting by absentee ballot or proxy shall be deemed to be present at the meeting for all purposes.

F. If 50 percent or more of the votes in the unit owners' association appertain to 25 percent or less of the units, then in any case where a majority vote is required by the condominium instruments or by this chapter, the requirement for such a majority shall be deemed to include, in addition to the specified majority of the votes, assent by the unit owners of a like majority of the units.

G. All votes appertaining to units owned by the unit owners' association shall be deemed present for quorum purposes at all duly called meetings of the unit owners' association and shall be deemed cast in the same proportions as the votes cast by unit owners other than the unit owners' association.

H. Except to the extent that the condominium instruments provide otherwise, the voting interest allocated to the unit or member that has been suspended by the unit owners' association or the executive board pursuant to the condominium instruments shall not be counted in the total number of voting interests used to determine the quorum for any meeting or vote under the condominium instruments.

Legislative History

1974, c. 416, § 55-79.77; 1980, c. 108; 1991, c. 497; 1993, c. 667; 1998, c. 32; 2003, c. 442; 2015, c. 214; 2019, cc. 367, 712; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 9, 494.