Is It Now Time for Century Village East to Change Its Election System?

Once again, Century Village East is entering an election season defined not by healthy civic engagement, but by empty seats, a shortage of candidates, and a process that shuts out nearly the entire community.

This year, the situation is especially embarrassing. Of the seven open seats on the COOCVE Board of Directors, four will be completely vacant. Not one person stepped forward to run. Not one. Meanwhile, two other seats are uncontested, meaning the two people currently in the positions are the only two people out of 16,000 to have the slightest interest in doing the jobs.

And what about the one contested seat on the COOCVE board?  Only two people, who are already on the Board are running.  Not a single new resident is interested in being on the COOCVE Board of Directors.

Alarm bells should be sounding across the village.

What does it say when the organization responsible for running elections can’t even find enough people to fill out the ballot in its own election?  What does it say when, in a village of 16,000, the number of new people interested in the other two organizations can be counted on one hand?One of the five doesn’t even have a biographical statement posted on COOCVE’s website.

Once again, we must ask the question: Is our election system not only outdated but structurally designed to keep people out. In January, when elections are held and more than 16,000 people are in Century Village East, only 414 residents will be allowed to vote. That means fewer than three percent of residents have any say at all in choosing the leaders who make major decisions that affect everyone.

And here is the absurdity: How can we possibly turn to a community of 16,000 residents, ask them to step forward, to get involved, to run for office—then only allow about 400 of them to participate in the election? How can we expect engagement from a village when the system tells 97 percent of the people that their participation simply isn’t allowed?

This is not apathy. This is disenfranchisement—baked directly into the process.

To add insult to injury, not all those 414 COOCVE director positions are even filled.  As we reported last November in the CVE Reporter, 75 of the 414 director seats were empty heading into last year’s elections.

Even after a front-page story spotlighting the shortage, and pleas from election officials thatbuildings fill their empty slots, NOT A SINGLE ADDITIONAL POSITION WAS FILLED BEFORE THE ELECTION.

How many warning signs of a broken system do we need before our leaders sound the alarm?

The proof is right in front of us. In a community this large, with this much talent, that is not a coincidence. It is a symptom of a system that tells people: your vote doesn’t matter, your voice doesn’t count, and your involvement isn’t wanted.

And then we wonder why no one runs.

This structure might have made sense decades ago, when technology was limited and running a full-scale community election was practically impossible. But that time is long gone. Today, secure and accessible election platforms make it easy for every resident to vote. There is no practical justification left for maintaining a system that shuts out the overwhelming majority ofthe village.

A community that excludes 16,000 residents from its elections should not be surprised when its ballots are empty.

The reality is undeniable: Century Village East needs an election system for the 21st century, one that is transparent, inclusive, and open to every resident—not just a select few. If we want vibrant leadership, competitive races, and genuine community engagement, then we need a structure that welcomes participation instead of suppressing it.

The current system has failed. The empty seats prove it. The dearth of candidates proves it. The silence from the community isn’t apathy—it’s frustration.

It’s time to bring real democracy to Century Village East. It’s time for open elections. It’s time for change.