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Will LehmanFor UAW President
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2026 UAW International Officer Election

2026 UAW Elections: FAQ & Voting Guide

Ballots go in the mail on or about August 21, 2026. This page answers who can vote, how the mail ballot works, and exactly what to do if your ballot never shows up.

I haven’t received my ballotRead the FAQ

Didn’t get your ballot?

In 2022, more than a million ballots were mailed and only 104,776 were counted. Members across the country reported never receiving a ballot at all. Do not assume yours is on its way. Act as soon as the mailing window opens.

  1. 1. Contact the Monitor’s Election Hotline

    212-303-2529UAWMonitor-Election@jenner.com

    Under the Election Rules, the Election Vendor must immediately send you a ballot package regardless of any question about your eligibility. Replacement ballot requests are accepted from August 26 through September 23, 2026. Requests from members whose region cannot be identified receive a limited ballot covering president, secretary-treasurer and the vice presidents.

  2. 2. Update your address with the UAW

    Ballots are mailed to the last address the UAW has on file for you. Update it in one of three ways:

  3. 3. Tell my campaign about problems with your ballot or voting

    We want to hear if you or workers you know have experienced problems with getting a ballot, or if you are aware of any voting irregularities or issues with the elections. In 2022, my campaign filed a federal lawsuit to defend workers’ democratic right to vote.

    Report a ballot problem

Frequently asked questions

See the full 2026 Election Rules and official notices on the UAW Monitor’s website.

The election

What are the 2026 UAW elections?

The 2026 UAW elections are the second-ever direct election of the union’s International Executive Board. Direct elections were mandated by the consent decree in United States v. UAW, No. 20-cv-13293 (E.D. Mich.), the outcome of a federal corruption case that sent more than a dozen top UAW officials, including two former UAW presidents, to prison.

Members voted to adopt direct elections in a 2021 referendum, replacing the old delegate system. The election is run by a court-appointed Monitor, Neil M. Barofsky of Jenner & Block, appointed on May 12, 2021.

Which positions are being voted on?

Fourteen International Executive Board offices are on the ballot: president, secretary-treasurer, three vice presidents and nine regional directors.

Who is on the ballot for UAW president?

Six candidates were nominated for UAW president: Will Lehman, Rich Boyer, Shawn Fain, Tricia Geiger, Brian Keller and Greg Mooney. Nominations took place at the 39th Constitutional Convention in Detroit, June 15–18, 2026, and required the nomination of at least one delegate.

Is there a rank-and-file worker running for UAW president?

Will Lehman, rank-and-file candidate for UAW president

Yes. Will Lehman is a rank-and-file worker at the Mack Trucks plant in Macungie, Pennsylvania. He is the only candidate who does not represent the apparatus. He is running to abolish the pro-corporate UAW bureaucracy and transfer power to rank-and-file workers organized in rank-and-file committees at every workplace.

Who can vote

Who is eligible to vote in the 2026 UAW election?

Every UAW member in good standing as of September 30, 2026 is eligible to vote, including part-time members, reinstated members and retired members. Dues delinquency can cost you good standing without any notice, so check your standing with your local union before the deadline. If your dues are deducted by your employer through check-off — or you have requested check-off from your employer — a delay or failure by the employer to send them to your local union cannot disqualify you.

Can retired UAW members vote in the 2026 UAW elections?

Yes. Retired members are eligible to vote whether or not you paid any dues during your retirement. The only criteria is that you were a member in good-standing when you left a UAW-represented workplace and are now either receiving a pension from that company or after attaining five years of seniority at a UAW workplace you are now eligible to collect Social Security (i.e., are at least 62 and one-month old).

Retirees receive their ballots at the address the UAW has on file, so it is important to check that they have your current address.

Can temporary workers (TPTs, supplemental employees, etc.) vote in the 2026 UAW elections?

Yes. Eligibility is based on UAW membership, not employment classification. Any UAW member in good standing as of September 30, 2026 is eligible to vote, and the Election Rules specifically protect part-time members who pay their required dues from being denied the vote. If your dues are deducted through employer check-off — or you have requested check-off from your employer — a delay or failure by the employer to send them to your local union cannot disqualify you. If you’re unsure of your standing, check with your local union before the deadline.

Getting your ballot

What are the key dates for voting?

Ballots are mailed on or about August 21, 2026. Replacement ballots can be requested August 26 through September 23. The Monitor recommends mailing your ballot back by September 25, and every ballot must be received by October 5, 2026. The full schedule is in the key dates timeline below.

When will ballots be mailed?

The first distribution of ballots is scheduled to be mailed on or about August 21, 2026, by the Election Vendor working under the Monitor. Ballots go to the last address the UAW has on file for you.

How do I make sure I receive a ballot?

Make sure the UAW has your current mailing address. You can update it at myinfo.uaw.org, through your local union, or by emailing MembershipDept@uaw.net. Put the change in writing and keep a copy of it. If a ballot never arrives, that record is your proof that you asked.

What do I do if I don’t receive a ballot?

Contact the Monitor immediately. The Election Hotline is 212-303-2529 and the email address is UAWMonitor-Election@jenner.com. Under the Election Rules the Election Vendor must immediately send you a ballot package regardless of any question about your eligibility. Replacement ballots can be requested from August 26, 2026 through September 23, 2026. Full instructions are in the ballot help section above.

Casting your vote

Is the UAW election a secret ballot?

Yes. The 2026 election is a secret mail ballot administered by an independent Election Vendor under the supervision of the court-appointed Monitor, not by the UAW. Your marked ballot goes inside a secrecy sleeve, so no one handling the return envelope can connect your vote to your name.

How do I fill out and return my ballot?

Mark your ballot, place it in the secrecy sleeve and put no marks on the sleeve, then seal the sleeve inside the pre-paid return envelope and complete the identification information printed on that envelope. Then mail it. Ballots returned without the full identification information on the return envelope are not counted, and no write-in votes are counted.

When is the deadline to return my ballot?

Your ballot must be received by October 5, 2026, at the close of the designated postal facility. The Monitor recommends mailing your ballot back no later than September 25, 2026.

When will the results be announced?

Tabulation begins October 6, 2026 in Rosemont, Illinois, and unofficial results are expected as soon as practicable after October 9, 2026. A candidate must win a majority to be elected. If no candidate for an office wins a majority, that office goes to a mail run-off, which is anticipated to have ballots mailed in December 2026 and counted in early February 2027.

The 2022 election

What happened in the last UAW election?

In the first direct election, held in 2022, only 104,776 ballots were counted out of more than one million mailed to members. The Monitor’s certified first-round tally for president was: Curry 39,572; Fain 38,958; Keller 14,561; Gibson 5,627; Lehman 4,777. No candidate won a majority, so the presidency went to a run-off decided in 2023: Fain 69,487 to Curry 69,010, a margin of 477 votes.

The leadership of a union of more than a million members turned on fewer votes than a single large plant employs.

Did Will Lehman challenge the 2022 election?

Yes. Will Lehman filed a formal protest with the Monitor over the conduct of the 2022 election, arguing that the UAW’s failure to notify members and to maintain accurate address lists suppressed the vote — read the election challenge. In June 2024 a federal court ruled that the Department of Labor’s dismissal of his complaint was arbitrary and capricious — read the statement on the court ruling.

About this page

Is this an official UAW or Monitor communication?

No. This page is published by the Will Lehman for UAW President campaign as a resource for members. It is not produced, reviewed or endorsed by the UAW or by the court-appointed Monitor.

Where do I find the official election rules?

The Monitor publishes the 2026 Election Rules, official notices and any schedule updates at uawmonitor.com/elections. A Spanish-language site is available at uawmonitor-espanol.com. Election questions can go to the Monitor’s Election Hotline at 212-303-2529 or UAWMonitor-Election@jenner.com.

Who is Will Lehman?

Will Lehman is a rank-and-file worker at the Mack Trucks plant in Macungie, Pennsylvania. He is not a bureaucrat or part of the UAW apparatus. He works the floor alongside the members he is asking to vote for him.

He is a socialist, and his program is to abolish the pro-corporate UAW bureaucracy and transfer power to rank-and-file workers organized in rank-and-file committees at every workplace — committees that decide for themselves what to demand and when to fight.

This is Will’s second run for UAW president. In 2022 he received 4,777 votes despite the efforts of the bureaucracy to keep workers in the dark about the elections and suppress the vote.

About Will LehmanRead statements
Will Lehman, rank-and-file candidate for UAW president

Key dates

The 2026 election schedule, as published by the court-appointed Monitor.

Nominations at the 39th Constitutional Convention

Candidates for the International Executive Board were nominated by convention delegates in Detroit.

First mail distribution of ballots

The Election Vendor working under the Monitor mails ballots to the last address the UAW has on file for each member.

Replacement ballots may be requested

If your ballot has not arrived, this is the first day you can ask the Monitor for a replacement ballot package.

Last day to request a replacement ballot

After this date no replacement ballot can be issued. Do not wait until the final week.

Recommended last day to mail your ballot back

The Monitor recommends mailing by this date so your ballot arrives before the hard receipt deadline.

Good-standing deadline for voter eligibility

You must be a member in good standing as of this date to have your ballot counted.

Hard deadline — ballots must be received

Ballots must be received by the close of the designated postal facility. A postmark by the deadline is not enough.

Tabulation begins in Rosemont, Illinois

Ballots are counted under the supervision of the court-appointed Monitor.

Unofficial results

The Monitor releases unofficial results as soon as practicable after this date.

Run-off, if no candidate wins a majority

Anticipated schedule: run-off ballots mailed in December 2026 and counted in early February 2027.

These dates are set by the court-appointed Monitor and are subject to the Monitor’s updates. Confirm them against the official notices at uawmonitor.com/elections.

Every vote counts

In 2022, 104,776 ballots were counted out of more than a million mailed, and the presidency was settled in a run-off by 477 votes. The pro-corporate UAW bureaucracy will again try to exclude rank-and-file workers from the elections. Get your ballot, return it, and tell us if it doesn’t arrive.

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Will Lehman

The bureaucracy can't be reformed. It must be abolished. Ready to build rank-and-file power?

Will Lehman for UAW President