Short answer: It's up to the local's bylaws, which need the International President's prior approval (2023). Mail balloting needs the President's authorization where geography makes "the usual election procedure" difficult, and that could be read to cover other non-in-person methods too.
| Verdict | Method left to local bylaws |
| Ratification / strike votes | Strike votes only: secret ballot of the bargaining-unit members within 30 days before the strike (Art. XX, Sec. 1); no method named; closest category: Leaves the method to local bylaws. Contract ratification: not addressed by the constitution. |
| Confidence | Medium |
| Last verified | 21 October 2026 |
What the text says
How local officer elections are run
"The officers and Executive Board members of a Local Union shall be elected by a majority, or a plurality of the votes cast as set forth in its Constitution and Bylaws. Any election of officers, and Executive Board members of a Local Union shall be by secret ballot, except that a Local Union may provide in its Constitution and Bylaws that such officers and Executive Board members shall be declared duly elected if only one nomination is made for any such office. No voting by proxy shall be allowed."
"Where geographic location may cause difficulties in following the usual election procedure, the International President may authorize mail balloting. The procedures for holding elections shall be prescribed in the Local Union Constitution and Bylaws, and the term of office of officers and Executive Board members shall not be less than one (1) year nor more than three (3) years."
"Any Local Union that is in trusteeship or has been suspended, and any group of active members who are not part of a Local Union, who are in good standing, shall elect delegates to a Convention in a secret ballot vote conducted using the legal requirements to elect officers of a Local Union."
International approval of local bylaws or election rules
"The President’s approval shall be required on all Constitutions and Bylaws adopted by Local Unions in accordance with this Constitution, and all Local Unions shall submit their Constitutions and Bylaws governing the Local Union membership to the President of the International Union for approval. Such approval shall be obtained prior to their being put into effect by the Local Union."
"In accordance with Article X, Section 7, each Local Union must have an approved Constitution and Bylaws."
Contract ratification and strike votes
"No Local Union shall call a strike against an employer, or employers, unless the active members in a bargaining unit of a Local Union employed by such employer, or employers, conduct a secret ballot vote to call a strike, which must be approved by a majority vote of those active members held within thirty (30) days prior to the scheduled day of the strike."
"Strikes against any employer, or employers, may be terminated if a majority of the members of the Local Union employed by such employer, or employers, so request by secret ballot."
Open questions
Election procedures are 'prescribed in the Local Union Constitution and Bylaws', which need the International President's prior approval; but because mail balloting requires International President authorization where geography makes 'the usual election procedure' difficult, the text could be read to require similar authorization for any other non-in-person method, including electronic voting – counsel to confirm.
Context
- Jurisdiction covers the United States and Canada (Art. III); LMRDA reaches only U.S. 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 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union — As amended at the Twenty-Ninth Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 12-16, 2023 (filed with DOL OLMS by national HQ, file no. 000-067, as 'Constitution - June 2023.pdf', received 2024-05-23). https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/orgReport.do?rptId=68879&rptForm=attachment (accessed 2026-10-21)
Not verified: opeiu.org (home, About, Local Union Resources, and 29th Convention pages) does not post the constitution; text taken from the OLMS filing. Full-text search found no mention of electronic, internet, online, telephone, remote, digital, computer or machine voting; 'electronic' appears only for funds transfers and for filing contracts 'in electronic format'. No OPEIU local-election manual was found. I could not determine whether a 30th Convention has been held since June 2023; none was found on opeiu.org or in its Summer 2026 newsletter.
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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