Voting cards, precise counts and secret ballots at strata meetings
Most arguments about a strata vote are not about the result. They are about how it was counted. The Standard Bylaws give a simple procedure, and one owner can require more formality just by asking.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
Under Standard Bylaw 27, voting cards are issued to eligible voters and a vote is decided on a show of voting cards unless an eligible voter requests a precise count. If one is requested, the chair chooses the method: cards, roll call, secret ballot or another way. Separately, an election of council or any other vote must be by secret ballot if an eligible voter requests it. The chair must announce the outcome of every vote, and it must be recorded in the minutes.
Voting cards
At registration, each eligible voter receives a voting card for each vote they hold: one for their own strata lot, and one for each proxy they carry. A voter holding three proxies holds four cards. Colour-coded or numbered cards make counting far easier. Where a strata has a Schedule of Voting Rights giving some lots more than one vote, the cards should show the number of votes.
A voter attending by electronic means does not need to be issued a voting card, and is not entitled or required to vote by secret ballot, despite the bylaws (section 49). Electronic meetings therefore use the platform's poll or a roll call. See electronic meetings.
The show of cards
For routine business, the chair asks for those in favour, then those opposed, and declares the result on what is plainly visible. This is fast and valid. The minutes can read "CARRIED" for these votes, though recording an approximate count does no harm.
Use the show of cards for: approving the agenda, approving minutes, receiving reports, and uncontested majority votes.
StrataMinutes can take this off your plate. Every decision on this page has to end up in the minutes, with the vote. Send us your notes or a recording and we prepare the minutes for you. Your first month is free.
When a precise count is needed
Any eligible voter may request a precise count on any vote. The chair then decides how to take it. For anything that needs a 3/4 vote, a prudent chair takes a precise count without being asked, because the minutes should show that the threshold was met.
How a 3/4 vote is measured. At least 3/4 of the votes cast by eligible voters present in person or by proxy at the time the vote is taken, not counting abstentions. If 40 votes are cast, 30 in favour passes. If 44 are present and 4 abstain, the count is still out of 40.
When a precise count is requested, the number of votes for and against must be announced by the chair and recorded in the minutes (Standard Bylaw 27(4)).
Secret ballots
Standard Bylaw 27(7) is short and strong: despite anything else in the bylaw, an election of council or any other vote must be held by secret ballot if the secret ballot is requested by an eligible voter. One request is enough. No seconder and no vote on the request are needed.
To be ready:
- Bring blank ballots to every general meeting, enough for several votes.
- Issue ballots against voting cards, one ballot per vote held.
- Appoint two or three scrutineers who are not candidates and, for a contested resolution, not closely tied to either side.
- Count in view of the meeting or in a room with the scrutineers present, and have them sign the tally.
- Keep the ballots sealed until the minutes are approved, or for a period your council decides, then destroy them.
Scrutineers and tally sheets
The Act does not mention scrutineers. They are a matter of good practice. A simple tally sheet lists each resolution, the threshold, votes in favour, votes opposed, abstentions and spoiled ballots, with the scrutineers' signatures. Attach the tally to the strata's copy of the minutes. If a result is ever challenged, the signed tally is the evidence.
Ties and close results
If there is a tie at a general meeting, the president, or the vice president if the president is absent or unable or unwilling to vote, may break it by casting a second, deciding vote, where the bylaws so provide (section 53 and Standard Bylaw 27). This does not apply where there are only two strata lots. A resolution needing a 3/4 vote cannot tie: it either reaches 75% of votes cast or it fails.
If a 3/4 resolution passes but the people voting held less than half of the strata's total votes, it cannot be implemented for one week, and owners holding 25% of the votes may demand a special general meeting to reconsider it (section 51). See the 3/4 vote.
Recording votes in the minutes
Resolution 3 (3/4 vote): special levy for roof replacement. A precise count was requested. Votes were taken by secret ballot. In favour: 38. Opposed: 6. Abstained: 2. The chair declared the resolution CARRIED, 38 of 44 votes cast (86%) being at least 3/4.
Election of council. A secret ballot was requested. Seven candidates stood for five positions. The following were elected: J. Singh, M. Laurent, D. Okafor, R. Chen and K. Ramos.
Election minutes normally record who was elected, not each candidate's vote total, unless the meeting asks for the totals.
Questions councils and owners ask
Can one owner demand a secret ballot at a strata meeting?
Yes. Under Standard Bylaw 27(7), an election of council or any other vote must be held by secret ballot if an eligible voter requests it.
Who decides how a precise count is taken?
The chair, who may choose a show of voting cards, a roll call, a secret ballot or another method.
Do abstentions count in a strata vote?
Not for majority or 3/4 votes, which are measured against votes cast by those who have not abstained. They do matter for 80% and unanimous votes, which are measured against all eligible voters.
Are secret ballots available at an electronic meeting?
A voter attending electronically is not entitled or required to vote by secret ballot under section 49.
How long should ballots be kept?
The Act sets no period. Many stratas keep them sealed until the minutes are approved or any challenge period has passed.
Every count, recorded correctly
Send StrataMinutes your tally sheets and notes after the meeting. Your minutes come back with each resolution, its threshold and the exact count for and against.
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For a 30-lot strata, that is under $1 a lot each month. Have the strata pay: free council approval kit.
This page is general information for BC strata corporations, not legal advice. Your strata's own filed bylaws may differ from the Standard Bylaws. See the current text of the Strata Property Act and the Strata Property Regulation on BC Laws.
Related guides
Voting Rules
Vote Calculator
Proxy Voting
Council Elections
The 3/4 Vote
How to Chair a Meeting