Proxies, Ballots and Vote Thresholds: How BC Strata Votes Actually Pass

Two resolutions are put to the same AGM. Forty of the strata's hundred eligible voters are in the room or represented by proxy. Both resolutions get every vote in the room. One passes. One fails.

That is not a mistake. It is the difference between a threshold measured against votes cast and a threshold measured against all eligible voters — and it is the single most misunderstood mechanic in BC strata voting. This article is the reference we wish every council had taped inside the AGM binder.

This article is general information about the Strata Property Act, not legal advice. Your own bylaws modify some of what follows. Before you rely on a threshold for a significant decision, confirm it against the Act and your registered bylaws, or ask a strata lawyer.

The four thresholds, defined

The Strata Property Act defines each threshold in section 1. The wording matters more than the fraction.

Majority vote

More than 1/2 of the votes cast by eligible voters who are present in person or by proxy at the time the vote is taken and who have not abstained.

Abstentions are not "no" votes. They are removed from the denominator entirely. Owners who stayed home are irrelevant to the arithmetic.

3/4 vote

At least 3/4 of the votes cast by eligible voters present in person or by proxy at the time the vote is taken and who have not abstained.

Same denominator as a majority vote. Same irrelevance of absent owners. This is why a well-attended AGM can be harder to pass a 3/4 resolution at than a thinly attended one — an inconvenient truth that argues for explaining resolutions properly rather than hoping for a small room.

80% vote

At least 80% of the votes of all the eligible voters in the strata corporation.

Note what changed: not votes cast, not votes present — all eligible voters. An owner who does not attend and does not give a proxy has effectively voted no.

Unanimous vote

All the votes of all the eligible voters.

One absent owner defeats it. One abstention defeats it. In practice, unanimous resolutions pass only where every single owner has been individually chased for a signed proxy or written consent.

Why the denominator is the whole game

Run the numbers on our hundred-vote building with forty votes represented, all in favour:

• A majority vote passes: 40 out of 40 cast.
• A 3/4 vote passes: 40 out of 40 cast.
• An 80% vote fails: 40 out of 100 eligible is 40%, not 80%.
• A unanimous vote fails: 60 eligible voters did not vote in favour.

If your resolution needs 80% or unanimity, quorum is not your target. Turnout is your target, and you need it before the meeting, in writing, in the form of proxies and written consents. Our guide to boosting AGM attendance and quorum is worth reading well before you draft the notice.

Which decision needs which threshold

This is the reference section. Your bylaws can be stricter in places and the Act governs where they conflict, so treat this as a map, not a substitute for reading the resolution requirement that actually applies.

Decisions that need a majority vote

• Approving the annual budget at the AGM
• Electing the strata council
• Most ordinary business at a general meeting where the Act does not say otherwise
• Spending from the contingency reserve fund in the circumstances the Act specifies — including obtaining a depreciation report, repairs and replacements identified in a depreciation report, EV charging infrastructure, and obtaining an electrical planning report
• Making a change to common property for EV charging infrastructure, under the amended significant-change rules

Decisions that need a 3/4 vote

• Amending, adding or repealing bylaws — the process is set out in our guide to changing strata bylaws in BC
• Approving a significant change in the use or appearance of common property (other than the EV exception above)
• Approving a [special levy](/resources/what-is-a-special-levy-bc)
• Spending from the operating fund on something not in the approved budget and not otherwise authorised
• Spending from the contingency reserve fund where the majority-vote circumstances do not apply
• Designating limited common property, and removing a designation made by 3/4 vote
• Creating or cancelling sections, which also needs a 3/4 vote of the affected section
• Directing an operating surplus to be dealt with other than as the Act's default provides

Decisions that need an 80% vote

• Winding up the strata corporation and cancelling the strata plan, under Part 16 of the Act — see how to wind up a strata in BC

Remember the denominator: 80% of all eligible voters. This is why winding-up resolutions require months of owner engagement, not a well-run meeting.

Decisions that need a unanimous vote

A short list, mostly involving changes to the registered strata plan itself — including amending the schedule of unit entitlement or the schedule of voting rights. Because unit entitlement sets both your fee and your share of a levy, this is the threshold owners run into when they believe their entitlement is wrong.

Where a strata has 10 or more strata lots and a resolution came very close to unanimity, the Act allows an application to court to have the unanimous requirement effectively relieved against. It is a real option and a genuinely expensive one.

Who is actually an eligible voter

• Generally the owner of each strata lot, one vote per lot, unless different voting rights are prescribed.
• A tenant who has been assigned the landlord's voting rights.
• A mortgagee, in the narrow circumstances the Act allows, and not on a winding-up resolution.
• Where the owner is under 16 or lacks capacity, the vote is exercised through a parent, guardian or legal representative.

One important lever: a strata corporation may, by bylaw, provide that the vote for a strata lot cannot be exercised where the strata is entitled to register a lien against that lot for arrears — except on matters requiring an 80% vote or a unanimous vote. Many stratas have this bylaw and never use it; many others assume they have it and do not. Check yours before you tell an owner at the door that they cannot vote.

Proxies: the rules and the five failures

A proxy is simply an appointment, in writing and signed by the person appointing, letting someone else act in their place at a general meeting. A proxy may be general or limited to a specific meeting or a specific matter, and it can be revoked at any time — including by the owner turning up and voting in person.

A proxy holder is not a courier. They can vote, propose motions, participate in debate and generally do what the appointer could do. That cuts both ways, which is why limited proxies exist.

The Act restricts employees of the strata corporation and persons who provide strata management services from acting as proxies except as permitted by regulation and subject to prescribed restrictions. In practice most professional managers decline outright, and a council should be wary of any manager who offers.

Five failures that void proxies at the door, every AGM, in every building:

1. 1.Unsigned or undated. The Act requires it in writing and signed.
2. 2.Wrong meeting. A proxy for "the 2025 AGM" does nothing at a 2026 SGM.
3. 3.The proxy holder does not attend. A proxy is not a mail-in ballot. If the holder is absent, the vote is simply not present.
4. 4.Blank proxy holder. A proxy naming nobody, handed in at the door for the chair to fill in, invites a challenge. If your bylaws permit it, say how in advance; if they do not, do not do it.
5. 5.Restricted proxies used unrestrictedly. If an owner limited the proxy to the budget resolution, it cannot be used on the bylaw amendment.

Build a proxy register at the door: lot number, owner name, proxy holder, restrictions, time received. The register is what you will need if a result is questioned, and it takes one volunteer twenty minutes.

Ballots, show of hands and electronic voting

Most general meeting votes are taken on a show of hands, with a written ballot used where the bylaws provide for it or where a result is close or sensitive. Council elections are commonly balloted for exactly that reason.

Your bylaws set the mechanics — who can call for a written vote, how ballots are counted and who scrutineers. Read them before the meeting rather than during it.

Electronic attendance and electronic voting are permitted where the conditions in the Act are met, including that the notice explains how to participate and that the method lets everyone communicate and lets the chair identify eligible voters. We cover the practicalities in can your BC strata hold AGMs and votes electronically.

Two rules that decide close votes

A 3/4 resolution can be amended at the meeting — but only by a 3/4 vote, and only if the amendment does not substantially change the resolution. You cannot rescue a doomed resolution by rewriting it from the floor.

A 3/4 resolution that passes on thin turnout can be reopened. Where a 3/4 vote passes but the votes in favour are less than 50% of all the strata corporation's votes, the Act pauses implementation for a week, and eligible voters holding at least 25% of the votes can demand that the resolution be reconsidered at a special general meeting. Very few councils know this exists. If you are passing a large special levy on light attendance, assume someone will find it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a 3/4 vote and an 80% vote in a BC strata? A 3/4 vote is measured against the votes actually cast by eligible voters present in person or by proxy who did not abstain. An 80% vote is measured against all eligible voters in the strata corporation, whether they attend or not. Absent owners do not affect a 3/4 vote but effectively vote no on an 80% vote.

Do abstentions count as votes against? No. Abstentions are excluded from the count for majority and 3/4 votes. They do reduce the number of votes in favour for an 80% or unanimous vote, because those are measured against all eligible voters.

Can our strata manager hold my proxy? The Act restricts employees of the strata corporation and providers of strata management services from acting as proxies except as permitted by regulation and subject to prescribed restrictions. Most professional managers decline for good reason. Appoint a neighbour instead.

Can a strata stop an owner in arrears from voting? Only if the strata has a bylaw saying so, and never on a matter requiring an 80% or unanimous vote. Check your registered bylaws before refusing anyone at the door.

What vote do we need to change a bylaw? A 3/4 vote at an annual or special general meeting, and the amendment must be filed at the Land Title Office to take effect.

Related reading

• How to Change Strata Bylaws in BC (the 3/4 Vote Process)
• The BC Strata AGM Prep Guide: Notice, Quorum & Timeline
• How to Boost Attendance and Quorum at Your Strata AGM in BC
• Can Your BC Strata Hold AGMs and Votes Electronically?
• How Strata Owners Can Call a Special General Meeting (SGM) in BC
• Unit Entitlement in BC: How Your Strata Fee and Your Vote Are Decided

The definitions are in section 1 and the meeting and voting rules in Part 4 of the Strata Property Act.

Running a general meeting so the results hold up is a craft. Onehive prepares notices, proxy packages and resolutions for strata communities across Metro Vancouver as part of our strata management service — request a proposal.