Paper voting (§ 14a sec. 6)
Not all owners use the app. In case an owner votes with a paper ballot, OpenResi lets the chairman or the vote counter record their choice in the system together with a mandatory photo of the ballot.
Who may record paper votes
| Role | Permission |
|---|---|
| HOA chairman (admin) | Yes |
| Vote counter (vote_counter) | Yes |
| Owner | No — a paper vote is recorded exclusively by an admin or vote counter |
| Tenant | No |
An owner therefore cannot record their own paper vote — they must hand their ballot over to the chairman or the vote counter.
How to record a paper vote
- Open the detail of an active vote
- Click "Record paper vote"
- In the dialog, fill in:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Yes | Select the owner from the list |
| Unit | Yes (if they own multiple) | If the owner owns only 1 unit, it is selected automatically |
| Choice | Yes | FOR / AGAINST / ABSTAIN |
| Ballot photo | Yes — mandatory | JPEG / PNG / WebP file |
- Confirm by saving
OpenResi immediately:
- Creates a vote record of type "paper"
- Links it to the selected owner + unit
- Stores the photo of the ballot
- Records you (the chairman/vote counter) as the author of the record
Mandatory ballot photo
OpenResi requires a photo of every paper vote. Without a photo the system rejects the record — this check is enforced directly at the database level (CHECK constraint) and cannot be bypassed.
Why the photo is mandatory
- Evidence in case of dispute — the photo captures the owner's signature and choice exactly as it was submitted
- Compliance with the law — § 14a sec. 6 of Act 182/1993 Coll. requires that written voting be "carried out in a manner that allows for a permanent record of the voter's will"
- Transparency — photos are visible in the vote detail to everyone authorised
What the photo must contain
- The entire ballot (including blank sections)
- The clearly visible marked choice
- The owner's handwritten signature
- The date (if it is part of the ballot)
Take the photo in good light, straight from above. Avoid blurry shots. The ballot must be legible — in case of a dispute a notary or a court may refer to it.
Viewing paper votes
In the vote detail you will see the "Paper ballot photos" gallery — a preview of all recorded ballots. Clicking a thumbnail opens the full-size image.
The gallery is accessible to:
- The chairman (admin)
- The vote counter
- The owner (for their own ballot)
Combining paper and electronic voting
In a single vote some owners may vote electronically and others on paper — OpenResi tracks both forms in parallel. At evaluation the two methods are merged; weighting by share works the same way.
An owner cannot vote both electronically and on paper for the same unit. If the vote counter records a paper vote for an owner who has already voted electronically, OpenResi shows a warning — the vote counter must decide which record is valid (usually the later one).
Archiving
The originals of paper ballots must be archived by the HOA chairman as required by law (at least for the duration of the vote and a reasonable period thereafter). OpenResi keeps the digital copy (the photo) and all metadata, but does not replace the physical archive.