Elections

Election Notice

United Academics of the University of Kansas (UAKU) will hold an election from Monday, August 24, 2026, 6:00 a.m. CDT to Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 5:00 p.m. CDT, for the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Grievance Officer, and three (3) Members-at-Large.

NOMINATIONS

Nominations for the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Grievance Officer, and three (3) Members-at-Large will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. CDT on Saturday, July 25, 2026. 

To be nominated for all offices, a candidate must submit to the Elections Committee a petition containing the signatures of ten (10) members. Please submit this form to elections@uaku.org.

Download the nomination form

To be eligible for office, a person must be a member in good standing of the organization for a period of two months prior to the date of the election. Members nominated to run for office must affirmatively accept their nomination before August 1, 2026.

For a full description of each position, including their responsibilities on the Executive Board, please consult the Constitution of the United Academics of the University of Kansas. All officers shall serve as members of the Executive Board.

The President shall:

  1. be the presiding officer at all meetings of the membership and the Executive Board;
  2. be an ex-officio member of all standing committees except the Elections Committee;
  3. appoint, with the approval of the Executive Board, the chairs of all standing and special committees unless otherwise specified in this Constitution;
  4. be the principal executive officer of the organization;
  5. receive report and respond to correspondence of the organization;
  6. supervise all employees of the organization;
  7. be one of the responsible financial officers of the organization and shall be authorized to co-sign financial instruments and make regular and usual disbursements of funds;
  8. represent the organization before bodies of the employer, executive and legislative officials;
  9. represent the organization before the public, community organizations, and the news media;
  10. be, by office, a delegate to the Topeka Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, and Kansas AFL-CIO;
  11. be, by office, a delegate to the convention of the American Federation of Teachers and meetings or conventions of its affiliated bodies;
  12. make an annual report to the organization’s membership; and
  13. shall be able to delegate the responsibilities of the office except where otherwise specified by the Constitution.

The Vice President shall:

  1. assume the duties of the President in the event of the absence, illness, or death of the President;
  2. oversee the work of and receive regular reports from the Organizing Committee and other committees as determined by the Executive Board;
  3. co-sign financial instruments in the absence of the President or Treasurer;
  4. perform other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Executive Board.

The Secretary shall:

  1. maintain the non-financial files and records of the organization;
  2. be the custodian of the seal and charter of the organization;
  3. record and keep accurate minutes of meetings of the membership and the Executive Board;
  4. assist the President in handling the correspondence of the organization;
  5. oversee the work of, and receive and certify the reports of, the Elections Committee;
  6. perform duties of the office as required by the LMRDA and guidelines developed by the AFT;
  7. receive record and deposit all dues monies and other income in the name of the organization;
  8. maintain accurate membership records;
  9. issue membership cards and notices of delinquency;
  10. perform other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Executive Board.

The Treasurer shall:

  1. be one of the responsible financial officers of the organization and be authorized to co-sign financial instruments and make regular and usual disbursements of funds;
  2. maintain all financial records of the organization;
  3. arrange for an independent audit of the finances of the organization annually and make same available to the Executive Board and membership;
  4. transmit per-capita payments on a regular basis to the Secretary- Treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers and similar officers of all other bodies with which the organization is affiliated;
  5. perform other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Executive Board;
  6. perform duties of the office as required by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, and the guidelines developed by the AFT.

The Grievance Officer shall oversee the work of the Grievance Committee and perform other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Executive Board.

At-large Members of the Executive Board shall:

  1. Each attend Executive Board meetings and perform such duties as requested by the Executive Board;
  2. Perform other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Executive Board.

 

ELECTION PROCEDURES

The election of officers will be conducted electronically at the dates indicated below:

Date: Monday, August 24, 2026, 6:00 a.m. CDT – Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 5:00 p.m. CDT.

The vote shall be by secret ballot, sent to each member’s personal email address on file. In the event that you do not receive a ballot, please notify the Elections Committee at elections@uaku.org with your correct email address.

Write-in votes shall not be allowed.

The largest plurality of ballots cast shall determine the outcome of the election for president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and grievance officer. The three (3) candidates for Member At-Large of the Executive Board who receive the highest number of votes shall be elected.

In the event there is only one nominee for the office of president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, or grievance officer, an election for that office shall not be held and the nominee shall be declared elected by acclamation. In the event that there are three (3) or fewer candidates nominated for the office of Member At-Large of the Executive Board, the nominated candidates shall be declared elected by acclamation and no balloting shall be conducted for the office.

The results of the election will be announced by Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CT.

Successful candidates shall assume office immediately after the announcement of election results, or, if they are the only nominee (or one of three or fewer candidates for the office of Member At-Large), they will assume that office by August 1, 2026.

Any remaining Member At-Large seats shall be declared vacant and may be filled on an interim basis in accordance with the provisions of Article IV, Section 13 of the UAKU Constitution.

United Academics of the University of Kansas

AAUP, AFT, AFL-CIO