Membership Vote on Presidential Endorsements
UAWD Amendment for
the 2026 UAW Constitutional Convention
Membership Vote on Presidential Endorsements
Amendment to Article 23
Currently, the UAW International Executive Board endorses candidates for US president without membership approval. This amendment would require that any endorsement for President of the United States be approved by a majority vote of UAW members, with the option to choose “No Endorsement.”
Amendment Summary
Article 23 shall be amended to include a new section “A candidate for United States President may only be endorsed by the UAW upon a majority vote of the membership. Any ballot shall include the candidates on the Michigan ballot and the option No Endorsement.”
Background
- Both major parties are funded by and aligned with corporate interests that have repeatedly undermined workers’ rights, weakened unions, and pursued domestic and foreign policies harmful to the working class.
- Presidential endorsements commit union resources—money, staff time, and member mobilization—and signal political approval from one of the largest working-class organizations in the country. Such decisions should reflect clear rank-and-file consent rather than top-down determinations.
A CLASS STRUGGLE APPROACH
- The UAW constitution establishes the membership as the highest authority. Requiring a membership vote aligns presidential endorsements with this principle by ensuring transparency, debate, and legitimacy.
- Including a “No Endorsement” option recognizes that withholding support may better reflect members’ interests when no candidate meets the union’s standards, and pave the way for broader political independence of our union from the 2-party system.
OPPOSITION FROM UAW BUREAUCRATS
- The UAW bureaucracy remains overwhelmingly committed to supporting the Democratic Party despite its repeated betrayals of our union and the broader working class. Union leaders may claim they are better positioned than the rank and file to decide presidential endorsements, warning that a membership vote could produce the “wrong” outcome, whether that’s endorsing a Republican or making no endorsement at all.
- Keeping political decisions in closed door meetings of the IEB weakens democracy in our union and undermines the political strength of a workers’ organization. If leaders are confident in their position, the appropriate course is to make their case directly to the membership and win majority support, not to circumvent member democracy.
