What is a valid proxy for voting

I am assuming that a proxy is a homeowners vote by letter or by giving another person the right to cast your vote. How do you know if the letter is actually the homeowner and not just someone else in the neighborhood posing as the owner because they know that the owner isn't sending in a vote. Or, maybe a board member who receives the votes just chucks half of them away and substitues them with their own vote.

I am thinking that the proxy vote would have to be noterized somehow. If so should the homeowner have to sign next to their vote and have that signature noterized instead of checking yes 0or no and then signing the bottom, since the check mark can be altered. Maybe someone would just check all choices just to invalidate the vote.

So what does a valid proxy look like?

JeffT - A "vote by letter" is more like a ballot by mail. Whereas a proxy vote is one cast by assigning someone else to vote for you, or a certain way on your behalf. Usually a proxy vote must be submitted to the MC before the vote and then hand carried by the proxy holder to the vote meeting. Your governing documents may outline the procedure for collecting, verifying, and tabulating votes that are cast. At the vote meeting, judges can be assigned, votes can be counted in the open. Verification of signatures can be accomplished with a Rolodex of owner's (co-owners) signatures and a cross-reference to the submitted vote. It's a little cloak and dagger for someone else in the neighborhood to pose as the owner because they know that the owner isn't sending in a vote if you ask me. But, I guess you never know. Either way, a well-developed procedure for ballot's by mail, proxy votes, and votes submitted in person by the owner should be established.

Fundamentally, a proxy is a specific form of a power of attorney. As such, a proxy had to be notarized at one time. But most states no longer require notarization.

Here is another proxy sample:

PROXY
XXXXXXXXX HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
I, the undersigned, being the sole owner, or the designated voting
representative, of Unit ___ , located at the Huntington Chase Homeowners
Association do hereby appoint_____________________ as my true and lawful
attorney, substitute and Proxy for me and in my name, place and stead, to vote
at the Annual Meeting of Members of the Association of Huntington Chase
Homeowners Association to be held on April 7, 200X at the _________Elementary School, located at _______________________________ and at
any adjournment or adjournments thereof, and to vote at any subsequent
balloting on any matter considered at the aforementioned meeting, as fully
and with the same effect as I might or could do were I personally present,
with full power of the substitution, shall lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof, and I hereby revoke any Proxy or Proxies heretofore given by me to any person or persons whatsoever for the above purposes.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have executed this proxy this ______
day of __________________ ,200X.
Owner or Voting Representative