According to Community Associations Institute, more than 68 million Americans live in 338,000 managed communities. In Canada, approximately one in eight people live in a condominium or strata corporation of some kind, totaling about 1.2 million owner-occupied dwellings as reported by Statistics Canada. Collectively, these homeowners spend tens of billions of dollars to maintain their communities. Each community is governed by an elected board of volunteer homeowners selected through an HOA elections process. That board makes decisions that affect all residents of the community.  Unfortunately, many people do not participate in their HOA board elections. Why is this so important? The board has the power to impact your community and your daily life there. The actions it takes directly affect property values, the reputation of the community and the overall quality of life for residents, all of which factor into the desirability of your neighborhood.     Read the article…………..