FAQ: General Body Elections
What is a GBE? The formal election of your managing committee — President, Secretary, Treasurer, and members.
How is it different from a poll? Elections have nominations, scrutiny, and phased voting; polls are single-question votes with admin-defined options.
Who is the Election Officer? A neutral Returning Officer — can be a resident or external party — who runs scrutiny and declares results. Access is scoped to one election.
Is the ballot secret? Yes by default. Individual ballot-to-candidate mappings are never exposed.
How do multi-seat committee posts work? Set seats per post and choose elect exactly N or elect up to N — the ballot enforces the rule per post.
Who can nominate and vote? Admins pick participant groups per election: owners, residents, and/or committee members can be included separately for nomination and voting.
How are defaulters blocked? Enable no-dues / arrears checks on candidates and voters. When billing is live, Plinth can also block flats with outstanding invoices automatically.
What voting method is used? Plurality (top vote-getters win seats). Ranked-choice / STV is not supported today.
What if only one person nominates? Uncontested post — winner declared without a vote.
Can multi-flat owners nominate twice? One nomination per flat owner account per post; voting is one ballot per flat.
Can I change my ballot? No — ballots are final once submitted.
Are there election reminders? Yes — in-app notifications and email before nomination and voting deadlines for members who have not yet acted.
What are term limits? Admins can set max consecutive terms per post; nominations that exceed the limit are blocked at submit time.
Can an Election Officer also be a candidate? The system warns on assignment; best practice is a neutral returning officer who is not on the ballot.