In closed testing: Parmenas is currently being tested with partner food co-ops and buying clubs.Request early access →
03 · Board & Elections · In Closed Testing
How does a cooperative run verified one-member-one-vote board elections and preserve governance records?
In closed testing, Parmenas connects board elections directly to your active member list, ensuring each eligible member household casts one secret ballot (online or checked in at the store counter), tracking quorum as votes come in, and keeping candidate slates, bylaws, and approved minutes together across board terms.
How each role uses Board & Elections
01 · Board
Publish slates, track quorum & archive minutes
Open annual director elections and bylaw votes with clear quorum thresholds.
Monitor participation percentages without seeing individual ballot choices.
Store board packets, policies, and approved minutes in one organized book.
02 · Members
Read candidate statements & vote with confidence
Review candidate bios and bylaw proposals in English or tú Spanish.
Cast a verified household ballot from home or in person at the annual meeting.
Read approved board minutes and cooperative bylaws year-round.
03 · Staff & Cashier
Assist paper-ballot voters at the counter
Check off a household as having received a paper ballot so a second online ballot cannot be cast for the same share.
04 · Treasurer
Attach annual financial summaries to the packet
Include year-end financial summaries directly with the annual meeting notice.
Example · Annual Gathering & Quorum
Tracking a 15% quorum across online and paper ballots
The co-op bylaws require 15% of active member households to vote for an election to be valid. Two weeks before the annual community hall supper, the board secretary opens the ballot in Parmenas in both English and Spanish.
Fifty-eight households vote on their phones during the week; nineteen members prefer to drop paper ballots into the ballot box at the counter, where the cashier marks their household roll as having received a paper ballot. By the time neighbours gather at the tables for supper, quorum is met and the approved tally is saved in the minutes.
Neighbours gathered at long tables in a community hall for a shared meal
