Can APWU locals vote online?

Short answer: It's up to the local's own constitution and bylaws. The APWU Constitution (as amended 2024) requires local elections to follow Department of Labor regulations and states no International approval step. National Agreement ratification is by mail vote. Postal locals are covered by the LMRDA.

Verdict	Method left to local bylaws
Ratification / strike votes	National Agreement ratification: the text specifies a 'membership ratification vote by mail' (Art. 13, Sec. 9(c)); electronic voting is not mentioned. Local strike votes: two-thirds secret ballot vote of the affected unit, method otherwise unspecified (Art. 23, Sec. 3(a)).
Confidence	High
Last verified	21 October 2026

What the text says

How local officer elections are run

"Each local union, area local, regional and state organization shall establish an Election Committee, no member of which shall be a candidate for election while serving on such committee. The Election Committee shall be responsible for the conduct of local elections and shall decide all controversies arising out of the election processes."

— Art. 12 (Election Process), Sec. 8, p. 36

"The Secretary-Treasurer shall notify in writing each local that does not have a Constitution and Bylaws, has not filed reports and returns required by federal law, or has not conducted elections in accordance with the Department of Labor Regulations, that its charter will be revoked."

— Art. 16 (Fiscal Year, Revenues, and Charters), Sec. 4, p. 55

Electronic, internet, phone or remote voting

"National Officers and Retiree National Convention Delegates shall be elected by mail ballot of the members for a three (3) year period effective November 1 of the election year."

— Art. 12, Sec. 7 (national officers only), p. 36

International approval of local bylaws or election rules

"(a) All chartered locals, area locals, state and regional organizations shall have a constitution and bylaws. In the absence of such constitution, this constitution shall apply to the extent applicable. (b) A copy of each of these constitutions and bylaws must be on file at national headquarters and shall not be in conflict with the national Constitution. (c) Each chartered subordinate body shall be fully autonomous."

— Art. 16, Sec. 6(a)-(c) (Responsibility of Chartered Subordinate Bodies), p. 56-57

"This committee shall have final authority to decide disputes, controversies and appeals arising out of local, state, regional and national elections. The National Election Appeals Committee shall have authority to adopt rules and regulations as it deems desirable to promptly accomplish the objective of this Article."

— Art. 12, Sec. 10, p. 37

Contract ratification and strike votes

"The national Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee, upon their approval of the tentative agreement, shall determine the conduct of the membership ratification vote by mail, providing the envelopes in this referendum are exactly the same in all physical characteristics and destinations and provided the envelopes are private, without a window."

— Art. 13, Sec. 9(c) (Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee and Contract Ratification), p. 41-42

"When a strike has been authorized by the national President, no strike shall occur until the following procedures have been complied with: A two-thirds (2/3) favorable vote cast by secret ballot by members in good standing and voting in the unit affected. Approval by the local union or as their own constitution and bylaws might otherwise provide."

— Art. 23 (Strike Sanction), Sec. 3(a), p. 67

Open questions

The Constitution does not specify a ballot method for local elections; it requires each local to have its own constitution and bylaws (on file at national headquarters, not in conflict with the national Constitution, no International approval step stated) and to conduct elections 'in accordance with the Department of Labor Regulations', without naming or excluding electronic voting.

Context

Postal-sector union: postal locals' officer elections fall under LMRDA Title IV (not CSRA/29 CFR 458); the Constitution also refers to private-sector operations (Art. 9 Support Services Division) and private-sector organizing (Art. 16, Sec. 2(g)).

The federal rules still apply

Federal law sits on top of every constitution. For unions covered by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), officer elections must meet Title IV's secret-ballot, notice and observer requirements however members vote. The Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) addresses remote electronic voting in its Compliance Tip Electing Union Officers Using Remote Electronic Voting Systems (updated December 10, 2024). The Tip describes safeguards for secrecy, observation and records, says it "does not offer unions safe harbor," and says each system is evaluated case by case. Federal-sector unions follow 29 CFR Part 458, which applies the same standards; postal unions are covered by the LMRDA. Locals made up entirely of state or local government employees are generally outside Title IV and follow state law and their own rules. OLMS Compliance Tip

Sources

Constitution and Bylaws of the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO — As Amended July 18, 2024 (PDF modified Feb 5, 2025). https://apwu.org/sites/default/files/2024_apwu_constitution_0.pdf (redirected from https://apwu.org/resource/360) (accessed 2026-10-21)
Local Election Workshop for Committee Members (APWU National Secretary-Treasurer's Web Training) — 2025. https://apwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Presentation-for-Local-Committee-Members-2025.pdf (accessed 2026-10-21)

Not verified: Full-text search of the 2024 Constitution for electron/internet/online/telephon/remote/digital/computer/web/machine/mail ballot/referendum found no provision on electronic voting (hits concern electronic submission of candidate statements and website posting for national elections). No APWU local election manual addressing electronic voting was found; the 2025 Local Election Workshop slide deck on apwu.org describes mail-ballot planning and does not address electronic voting. Page numbers are printed page numbers.

This page summarizes the published text of a union's governing documents. It is not legal advice and not an official interpretation by the union. Constitutions change at conventions, and locals' own bylaws matter. Confirm with your International and your counsel before changing how members vote. Spotted an error or a newer edition? Tell us at info@votem.com and we'll correct it.

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