Homeowners associations are supposed to represent the interests and desires of, well… homeowners. But the members of one HOA in Pennsylvania apparently have something against people putting up colored Christmas lights outside their home — and are wiling to reinterpret the math of their own survey to keep their neighborhood’s exteriors homogenous.

The HOA only permits white, non-blinking lights on the outside of folks’ houses — and being in violation of this rule results in a fine of $10 for each day said lights remain up.

This apparently didn’t sit well with some residents, who collected 62 signatures on a petition to allow the colored lights. And so, the HOA put sent out a survey that seemed designed to result in a vote that would please the association.

According to CBS, 38 people responded to the survey. 19 voted for unblinking white lights; 14 for allowing unblinking colored lights; and 5 for permitting blinking colored lights.

So with 19 for white lights and a total of 19 for colored lights, it’s effectively a tie, right?

Nope, the HOA decided that this is a 19-14 vote, saying that the 5 votes for blinking colored lights don’t count toward a vote for colored lights in general.

One neighbor, who doesn’t sound at all uptight, defends the white-light-only regulation.

“Some colored lights are pretty and they have their place in neighborhoods, but you never really know how far people are going to go with them,” he tells CBS.

Bucks County Woman Fined By Homeowner’s Association For Colored Christmas Lights [CBSlocal.com]

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