Short answer: It depends on the local. Ordinary locals vote in the meeting hall or at approved polling locations, by hand ballot or voting machines (Art. XXVI, Sec. 16). Regional Shop Locals must vote "exclusively through mail-in voting or voting via electronic means" (Art. XXVII, Sec. 15c). Source: the 2021 constitution; text from the 2026 convention is not yet published.
| Verdict | Lists methods that don't include electronic voting |
| Confidence | Medium |
| Last verified | 21 October 2026 |
What the text says
How local officer elections are run
"Nomination and election of officers shall take place on a definite date or dates and time or times, which shall be clearly set forth in the Local Union By-Laws. In addition to the regular meeting hall polling location, subsequently added polling location or locations, and the definite date or dates and time or times of the election of officers will be set forth in the Local Union By-Laws, provided said changes are approved by the General Executive Board"
"The election of officers shall be held on a certain date or dates not more than once every three (3) years and the Local Union shall state during what hours the polls shall remain open, using a ballot approved by the General Secretary."
"The Judges of Election in all areas shall prepare the ballots, and they shall allow no one to vote who is over one (1) month in arrears in the Local Union, and shall stamp the monthly dues receipt and ballot of each member who deposits a ballot in the ballot box. Sec. 16e. A Local Union, if it desires, can use voting machines in its election."
"Election of officers shall take place in the regular meeting hall of the Local Union on a definite date or dates and time or times, which shall be clearly set forth in the Local Union By-Laws."
"Where hand ballots are utilized, the Judges of Election shall physically count the ballots. H. Where voting machines are utilized, they shall open the voting machines and record the number of votes given to each candidate."
Electronic, internet, phone or remote voting
"Elections within Regional Shop Locals must be administered exclusively through mail-in voting or voting via electronic means as authorized in the Constitution, by the General Executive Board, or as set forth in the Regional Shop Local Union By-Laws."
"Regional Shop Local Unions may have meetings with a remote, electronic attendance option. They may not require Chapter members to attend an in-person meeting in one location in order to vote for business pertaining to the Regional Shop Local. Matters requiring secret ballots may be administered virtually only if the secret ballot can be maintained. Otherwise, the mail-in ballot procedure shall be employed."
"The election shall be conducted by secret ballot. The election can be held with the use of a ballot box or a voting machine with a paper ballot. The election may also be conducted electronically."
International approval of local bylaws or election rules
"Each Local Union shall enact By-Laws to govern its Local Union affairs, which By-Laws, however, shall not become effective until approved in the manner hereinafter prescribed, and shall always be subject to the Constitution, including Article XXVI, entitled "Constitution Governing All Local Unions.""
"The "General Information and Rules for Elections" shall constitute a part of this Constitution with the same force and effect as fully set forth in Appendix B. The General Executive Board may amend the "General Information and Rules for Elections.""
Contract ratification and strike votes
"Local Unions are not granted the power, and are forbidden, to call any strike involving the work of any fair contractor, or cause any stoppage of work, without first securing the sanction and the approval of the General President."
Open questions
For ordinary local unions the constitution prescribes voting at the regular meeting hall (plus GEB-approved outlying polling locations) by hand ballot in a ballot box or by voting machine, with no mention of electronic/internet voting; however, Regional Shop Locals are expressly required to vote by mail-in or "electronic means" (Art. XXVII, Sec. 15c), the GEB may amend the Appendix B election rules, and whether "voting machines" could include electronic devices is not defined - counsel to confirm.
Context
- Recent convention amendments not confirmed: delegates met at the Iron Workers convention Aug. 31-Sept. 4, 2026 in Chicago (reported by NW Labor Press, a lead only, as approving a name change to "International Association of Iron Workers"); the constitution reviewed reflects the 2021 (44th) Convention, and any 2026 amendments to election provisions could not be confirmed.
- Split rule inside the constitution: Regional Shop Locals (Art. XXVII, Sec. 15c) "must" use mail-in or electronic voting, unlike other locals.
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, International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers (incl. Appendix B "General Information and Rules for Elections") — Revised in accordance with amendments adopted by the Forty-Fourth Convention held August 9-13, 2021. https://luis.iwintl.org/IronWorkerConstitution?type=wholeConstitutionpdf (accessed 2026-10-21)
Not verified: ironworkers.org (a Salesforce-hosted site) did not render its document links via curl or headless Chromium; the constitution was obtained from luis.iwintl.org, the Iron Workers International's LUIS portal (iwintl.org domain), as an 83-page PDF with no printed page numbers, so cites use the PDF page index. No ratification-vote method is prescribed in the constitution, so no ratification verdict is given. The Appendix B "Judges of Election Guide" (Sec. 13) is included in the constitution itself; the separate General Secretary checklist (App. B, Sec. 13H) was not located.
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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