Written by Murray Cameron on 09/09/2026.

Vote From Anywhere: Your Right to eVote in NSW Strata Schemes

Missing a strata meeting used to mean missing your say. Under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) and its Regulation, that’s no longer the case — owners can now vote on motions before a meeting even starts, from a laptop or phone, without setting foot in the room. (NSW Legislation)

At Strata Real Estate Services, we don’t see eVoting as a nice-to-have add-on. We built it into how every scheme we manage operates.

What the Law Actually Guarantees You

Pre-meeting electronic voting isn’t an optional courtesy a strata manager can withhold — it’s a defined mechanism set out in law, with its own rules for how and when it can be used.

• Under Schedule 1, clause 28(3) (owners corporation meetings) and Schedule 2, clause 10(3) (strata committee meetings) of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), a meeting notice may specify pre-meeting electronic voting as an available way to vote on a motion.
• Clause 14A of the Strata Schemes Management Regulation 2016 (NSW) confirms pre-meeting electronic voting cannot be used to decide an election — office bearers and strata committee members still have to be elected at the meeting itself.
• Clause 15 requires the secretary to give every eligible voter access to a compliant electronic ballot paper and an electronic declaration form at least 7 days before the meeting.
• Clause 15(8) sets the close of the ballot: 24 hours before the meeting for owners corporation matters, or immediately before the meeting for strata committee matters.
• Clause 16 governs what counts as an informal (invalid) vote, and clause 17 sets out how the result is worked out once voting closes.

This is exactly the sequence StrataSoft takes you through — Terms & Conditions, an Electronic Form Declaration confirming who you are and your entitlement to vote, then the Voting screen itself — because the platform is built to satisfy clause 15’s requirements, not just to look tidy on screen.

Where We Stand: Access Isn’t Optional

The law sets a floor, not a service standard. Technically, an owners corporation can comply with clause 15 by opening the ballot exactly 7 days before a meeting and slamming it shut 24 hours before — a narrow window that assumes every owner is watching their inbox at the right moment.

We think that’s the bare minimum, not the standard to aim for.

That’s part of why every scheme we manage gets ongoing visibility into upcoming motions, meeting documents and voting status through the StrataSoft Owners Portal — not just a one-off email when a ballot happens to be open. Owners can log in, see what’s coming up, read the motion wording and attachments early, and vote when it suits them within the legislated window, instead of scrambling in the last 24 hours.

Our view is simple: if it’s your building and your money being decided on, you shouldn’t be relying on a single email landing in the right inbox at the right time to have your say.

How Strata Real Estate Services Can Help

Owners — download our step-by-step guide, How to Use StrataSoft to eVote, to see how to search your documents, get help in the portal, and read your Scheme Dashboard so you’re never caught off guard by an upcoming vote.

Your Strata, Our Expertise.

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Key Takeaways

• Pre-meeting electronic voting is set out in Schedule 1, clause 28(3) and Schedule 2, clause 10(3) of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), and detailed in clauses 14A–17 of the Strata Schemes Management Regulation 2016 (NSW).
• It cannot be used for elections (clause 14A), and ballots must be issued at least 7 days before the meeting (clause 15).
• Voting closes 24 hours before a general meeting, or immediately before a strata committee meeting (clause 15(8)) — once submitted, your vote is final and cannot be withdrawn or changed.
• At Strata Real Estate Services, owners get ongoing access to upcoming motions and documents through StrataSoft — not just a narrow, one-off voting window.

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