Can LIUNA locals vote online?

Short answer: Not without a variance. LIUNA's Uniform Local Union Constitution requires in-person voting in a hall or room, by paper ballot or voting machine; the General President may grant variances, and the election guide says mail ballots need that approval. LIUNA's 2021 Local Union Officer Election Guide states that "the Department of Labor currently prohibits voting over the internet."

Verdict	Lists methods that don't include electronic voting
Confidence	High
Last verified	21 October 2026

What the text says

How local officer elections are run

"The Judges of Election shall then contact and consult with the Secretary-Treasurer, in order to determine the number of official ballots to be printed, if ballots are to be used, or the number of voting machines, if the election is to be conducted by voting machines."

— ULUC Art. VI, Sec. 2(h), p. 95

"At the April or May meeting, the membership shall determine and fix the date on which the election shall be held and the place and the hours during which the polls shall remain open."

— ULUC Art. VI, Sec. 2(j), p. 95

"The voting area shall be located in a hall or room where all of the functions of the election process will be open and visible at all times to the Watchers and the election officials charged with the proper conduct of the election;"

— ULUC Art. VI, Sec. 3(a), p. 95

"As each member in good-standing appears for the purpose of voting, such member shall report to the Secretary-Treasurer and present identification. ... After members have been qualified, they shall each be given an official ballot and permitted: (1) if a paper ballot is used, to mark the ballot ... (2) if the vote is by voting machine, to register their votes in a secret manner"

— ULUC Art. VI, Sec. 3(d)-(e), p. 96

International approval of local bylaws or election rules

"The General President may, after consideration and study of a particular matter or situation and when believed necessary to fully accomplish an object or purpose of the International Union or of its affiliates and members, grant variances, tolerances or exemptions from specific provisions of the Constitutions, established policies, practices, lawful orders and decisions, for a period of time and specify the conditions under which such grant is made."

— International Union Constitution Art. IX, Sec. 11(b), p. 35

"To establish proper rules, regulations, policies and practices as it deems necessary or appropriate ... provided such rules, regulations, policies and practices are not in conflict with the International Union Constitution ... and not in conflict with the Uniform Local Union Constitution ... such rules, regulations, policies or practices shall be subject to review by the General President"

— ULUC Art. II, Sec. 2(a), p. 73

International election manual or guidelines

"The Department of Labor currently prohibits voting over the internet. It is the Department's view that current technology used by internet and phone-based voting systems does not provide adequate safeguards to ensure secrecy of votes, nor do they allow for the presence of watchers during important phases of the election."

— Local Union Officer Election Guide (Rev. 2021), ch. 6.1 (Preparation of the Ballot), p. 29 (PDF p. 31)

"Although ULUC, Art. VI, § 3, requires in-person balloting, a request for a variance to use a mail ballot, or multi-day or multi-site polling, may be granted upon the recommendation of the Regional Office if a need to do so is demonstrated to the LIUNA General President."

— Local Union Officer Election Guide (Rev. 2021), ch. 10.1.1 'When Justified', p. PDF p. 50

"Mail balloting requires approval from the General President, which is available in a variety of circumstances"

— Local Union Officer Election Guide (Rev. 2021), ch. 10.1, p. PDF p. 50

Open questions

The constitution itself neither names nor bars electronic voting; the GP's general variance power (IUC Art. IX Sec. 11(b)) is open-ended, while the 2021 Election Guide's statement on internet voting reflects a 2021 characterization of the Department of Labor's view, not constitutional text.

Context

Pending/recent convention not confirmed: IUC Art. V Sec. 1 requires a regular Convention 'once every five years during the months of September or October' (the 26th was Sept. 2021, so the next would fall in Sept./Oct. 2026); no 27th Convention materials or amended constitution were found on liuna.org as of 2026-10-21.
Mixed public/private membership: LIUNA includes public-employee members (liuna.org posts public-employee steward materials); the LMRDA covers only locals with private-sector or postal members. LIUNA also includes Canadian affiliates outside the LMRDA.

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

Constitutions of the Laborers' International Union of North America: International Union Constitution, Uniform Local Union Constitution (ULUC), Uniform District Council Constitution — As Amended by the 26th Convention, September 21-22, 2021 (As corrected February 2022); listed on liuna.org as 'LIUNA 26th Convention Constitution (Rev. 2/2022)'. https://d3ciwvs59ifrt8.cloudfront.net/26cb4691-c1ac-41e5-840f-f3fe1fea8bbb/9b7cac7e-ab2e-49bb-8b50-d078f2253952.pdf (accessed 2026-10-21)
Local Union Officer Elections: A Guide for Local Union Judges of Election, Officers and Members — Revised 2021 (listed on liuna.org as 'Local Union Officer Election Guide (Rev. 2021)'). https://d3ciwvs59ifrt8.cloudfront.net/26cb4691-c1ac-41e5-840f-f3fe1fea8bbb/e9efa4fb-97ce-4ea8-a3c4-b619a6b9a2a5.pdf (accessed 2026-10-21)

Not verified: Contract ratification/strike-vote methods: the ULUC/UDCC provisions found concern District Council negotiating-committee ratification by council delegates and strike sanction, not a membership ballot method, so no ratification verdict is given. Page numbers are printed page numbers of the constitution PDF; guide pages as noted.

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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