Source: https://www.davis-stirling.com/HOME/Political-Activities-Flyers
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 21:16:56+00:00

Document:
Effective January 1, 2018, associations must allow members and residents to assemble, meet, speak, canvass, petition, distribute and circulate information about a variety of HOA related and public topics on association property.
Reasonable Restrictions. While the above matters may not be prohibited, they may be restricted. To prohibit is to disallow entirely. To restrict is to allow, but subject to conditions which, in this case, must be reasonable. The right to certain reasonable restrictions is provided in the statute.
Peaceful Assembly and Meeting. The assembly and meetings permitted in the statute to discuss CID living, etc. must be peaceful. (§4515(b)(1).) Associations may prohibit violence, threats, excessive noise, or other non-peaceful assemblies and meetings. While the language of §4515(b)(2) permitting meetings with public officials, etc., to speak on matters public interest does not include the same “peaceful” requirement, associations should be allowed to reasonably require those meetings to be peaceful as well.
Scope of Meetings and Speaking Topics. While the scope of the purpose for assembly and meetings allowed under §4515(b)(1), the scope of the subject matter of speaking at meetings allowed under §4515(b)(2), and the related canvassing and petitioning allowed under §4515(b)(4) are broad, they are not unlimited. Associations should consider adopting rules restricting such activities to this purposes expressly allowed by statute. While the same could be done as to distributing and circulating of information under §4515(b)(5), it would be less effective since the authorized subject matter– issues of concern to members and residents – is effectively unlimited.
Reasonable Manner and Hours. Associations may restrict the assembly and meetings relating to CID living, etc., the canvassing and petitioning, and the distributing and circulating permitted by §4515(b)(1), (4) and (5) to being undertaking in reasonable manners and at reasonable hours. While the same restrictions are not expressly provided for in §4515(b)(2), associations could reasonably restrict meetings with public officials, candidates and the like, in the same way.
Reasonable Canvassing and Petitioning. This type of activity usually involves mailing and direct contact with others. Mailing should be unrestricted. Phone contact could be unrestricted or limited to reasonable hours. Since phone numbers are not an official part of an association’s membership list, the association has no duty and should not distribute phone numbers to its members or residents. Open forums at a board meeting or at a reasonable time during a membership meeting would be appropriate venues for such activities. Since the purpose of this statute is to allow, but not force members and residents to participate in these activities, the visiting of private residences should be allowed, at reasonable hours, subject to the right of a member or resident to opt out of such direct solicitation. Excessive unsolicited contact, after being rebuffed by a resident, could be considered harassment. Reasonable hours for such activities should be late enough that most members are home from work, but neither so early nor late as to interfere with people preparing to go work or who may be sleeping. Discrete contact in the common area (either by chance or at a pre-determined location, such as at an entrance gate or pool area), should be permitted, but associations may restrict aggressive unwanted contact to protect member/resident privacy, preserve quiet enjoyment and abate a nuisance.
Reasonable Distributing and Circulating of Information. This activity may include mailing or sliding flyers under front doors, door mats, or behind screen doors. It may also include passively handing out flyers in the common area in the same manner as canvassing or petitioning above. Posting should also be allowed in common area bulletin boards. But associations should be able to prevent the affixing of flyers and other papers to common area walls, doors, windows and the like. Also, associations should be justified in restricting flyers from being placed on private vehicles.
Election Rules. An association’s election rules may require amendment to conform to allow members to meet to discuss association elections or recall processes and distributing or circulating information about same.

References: §4515
 §4515
 §4515
 §4515
 §4515
 §4515
 §4515