Unity Caucus: Leads the conversation on Electronic Voting
Last year, the UFT held its officer election. Michael Mulgrew and the Unity Caucus won every officer position.
The election had been conducted by mail ballot, with in-person options available at designated UFT locations and events, leaving the question, is there a way to make the voting process easier?
With this question in mind, the UFT Executive Board convened a task force to explore the viability of electronic voting or online voting.
The task force was made up of members of the three slates. It included representatives from Unity Caucus, ABC, and ARISE. At the first meeting, it became clear that most members came in expecting this to be a short conversation. It seemed like adding electronic voting would be a no-brainer since the UFT already uses electronic voting for SBO elections. Could voting for UFT officers be that different?
It turned out, yes.
What the Task Force Learned
Officer elections are governed by federal labor law and Department of Labor regulations that impose strict requirements around election integrity and ballot secrecy. SBO elections are not subject to these laws.
To get a complete picture, the task force brought in an expert in electronic voting. The expert provided a thorough review of the legal, technological, and security considerations involved in voting electronically in officer elections.
With this information in hand, the task force reviewed the Department of Labor’s most recent guidance, issued in December 2024, and examined the challenges that electronic voting posed to verifying voter identity, protecting ballot secrecy, preventing coercion, and maintaining member confidence in results.
What emerged from those conversations was sobering. Under current law and with current technology, moving to online voting for UFT officer elections would be costly and create serious risks. An electronic vote would likely face a legal challenge significant enough to throw the election results into question. Worst of all, these legal challenges could be seized upon by bad actors in our union and the federal government who are looking to subvert the democratic will of our members. The same features that make online voting appealing are precisely what would give bad actors the tools to question, delay, or delegitimize results they don’t like. The integrity of the union’s democracy and our member’s faith in the voting process is the Unity Caucus’s highest concern.
The Recommendation
The task force recommended that the UFT continue using mail ballots for officer elections, maintain a third-party in-person voting option, and not move to online voting at this time.
The Door Remains Open
This is not a permanent decision. One of the task force’s key recommendations is that the UFT continue monitoring developments in election technology, legal requirements, and the practices being adopted by peer organizations. Online voting remains worth revisiting as technology advances and the regulatory picture becomes clearer.
It is also worth noting that the UFT was ahead of the curve here. The next officer election is not until 2028, but the task force met this year, took the question seriously, included members from all slates, brought in real expertise, and was able to find broad consensus across caucus lines on almost every issue.
What that process made clear is that digital does not automatically mean better, easier, or safer. The union’s obligation is not only to maximize convenience. It is to protect election integrity, preserve member confidence, and ensure compliance with federal law.
For now, the most responsible path forward is to maintain mail ballots, keep the in-person option, and watch as the law and technology evolves. As always, Unity will continue driving this conversation.
You can read the full task force report here:
