Short answer: Only with International approval. The USW Constitution (effective April 2025) provides for referendum voting for local officers. USW's Local Union Elections Manual (November 2023) allows remote electronic voting only where a local shows special circumstances and receives written approval from the International Secretary-Treasurer.
| Verdict | Electronic voting permitted with International approval |
| Confidence | Medium |
| Last verified | 21 October 2026 |
What the text says
How local officer elections are run
"All Local Union Officers and Grievance Committee Members shall be elected for a term of three (3) years at the last meeting in April, 2027 (or during such other hours or day in April designated by the membership) by a plurality vote of the members participating in a referendum vote, and shall serve until their successors are elected and qualified..."
"The date of Local Union elections for Local Union Officers and Grievance Committee Members must be advertised among members at least fifteen (15) days previous to the date of the election by mailing notice of the date, place and hours of the election to each member in good standing at the member’s last known home address."
"The requirements regarding method of election and notices may be modified for Local Unions in Canada by the International Executive Board."
Electronic, internet, phone or remote voting
"Notwithstanding any other provision in this Article, the International Executive Board may establish standards for the authorization of the use of (i) voting machines, (ii) mail ballot or (iii) remote electronic voting systems under procedures which provide safeguards for their proper use."
International approval of local bylaws or election rules
"This document shall be known as the Constitution and By Laws of the International Union and it shall also be the Constitution of each Local Union chartered by the International Union."
"Local Unions may adopt, subject to approval by the International Union, such by-laws and rules as do not conflict with any of the provisions of this Constitution or the policies of the International Union."
"Notwithstanding any provisions of the Constitution to the contrary, the International Executive Board may establish standards, including the process with respect to obtaining authorization of variances, which provide safeguards for their proper use, for Local Unions whose paticular circumstances warrant an accomodation to address the special needs, circumstances, and conditions of members on such matters as Local Union and International Union elections, ... [spelling as in source]"
Contract ratification and strike votes
"No strike shall be called without the approval of the International President."
International election manual or guidelines
"It is the policy of the International Union, as declared by the International Executive Board, that Local Union elections must be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the notes, interpretations, rules and procedures set forth in this Manual."
"In order to handle some of the special circumstances of Amalgamated and other Local Unions, the International Union permits Local Unions which demonstrate special circumstances to conduct their balloting by mail or remote electronic voting. The International also permits Local Unions which so desire to use voting machines rather than using paper ballots or tabulating by hand."
"To obtain permission to utilize either mail balloting, remote electronic voting or voting machines, the Local shall submit a written request to the International Secretary-Treasurer, specifying the reason(s) for the request and the procedures to be utilized."
Open questions
The Constitution's only express mention of remote electronic voting (Art. V, Sec. 8) is limited by its own terms to International Executive Board elections; for Local Union officer elections the permission (on written request to, and approval by, the International Secretary-Treasurer, on a showing of 'special circumstances') comes from the IEB-adopted November 2023 Local Union Elections Manual, which predates the April 2025 Constitution and whose current edition could not be confirmed on usw.org.
Context
- Mixed jurisdiction: USW has Canadian locals (Art. VII, Sec. 8 lets the IEB modify method/notice rules for Canadian locals) and represents public-sector workers (usw.org lists a 'Public Workers' industry); LMRDA reaches only locals with private-sector members.
- 2025 Constitution (effective April 8, 2025) is newer than the Nov. 2023 Elections Manual; a post-2025 manual revision may exist but was not found.
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 By Laws of the International Union, United Steelworkers (copy lacks cover page; Art. XX: 'This Constitution shall become effective April 8, 2025') — Effective April 8, 2025 (2025 International Constitutional Convention, Las Vegas). https://www.usw1998.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-Constitution-English-Secured.pdf (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Local Union Elections Manual (Including supplementary provisions for Amalgamated Local Unions), United Steelworkers — November, 2023 ('Approved and adopted by International Executive Board, United Steelworkers, November, 2023'). https://www.usw1998.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2023-LU-Elections-Manual-Secured.pdf (accessed 2026-10-21)
Not verified: No public copy of the Constitution or the Elections Manual was found on usw.org (site search for 'constitution' and 'elections manual' returned no document). The 2022 Constitution formerly at uswlocals.org/system/files/2022_usw_constitution_-_english.pdf now returns 404. Text relied on is from copies posted by USW Local 1998 (usw1998.ca); the Nov. 2023 Manual edition is corroborated by an image-only scan on uswlocals.org (Local 9187 page) that could not be text-searched (no OCR available). DOL OLMS disclosure site (olmsapps.dol.gov) could not be reached from this environment (TLS failure via proxy). The Constitution does not specify a ratification-vote method.
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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