AFA National Convention | Election FAQ

The 2025 Board of Directors Election will be conducted during the annual AFA National Convention in a hybrid format- allowing both in-person and virtual participation. As with past conventions, the election is an official function of the National Convention. This year, however, voting will be fully electronic through a secure online platform, ensuring all credentialed delegates- regardless of how they attend- can cast their vote.

For the first time, credentialed delegates will have the option to vote and participate either in person or virtually. This allows for broader inclusion while maintaining the integrity of the election process.

AFA is committed to increasing participation and transparency. In the past decade, only about 30% of authorized delegates attended the National Convention, meaning 70% of votes were cast through block voting. The AFA Board of Directors approved in January 2024 to introduce electronic voting. Moving to electronic, individual voting reduces confusion and improves accuracy, allowing all authorized delegates to vote- even if they can’t attend in person.

No. In accordance with AFA Bylaws, nominations from the floor are no longer permitted. The official slate of candidates, as determined by the Nominating and Governance Committee, will be announced by the May 30 deadline.

Yes. Board elections remain a core component of the National Convention and are only open to credentialed delegates. Heads of Delegates will submit an electronic delegate roster indicating who will vote in person or virtually. Voting will take place from 8:00 AM ET on Saturday, September 20 to 8:00 AM ET on Sunday, September 21, allowing time for caucusing and discussion among those gathered on-site. However, casting your vote is not limited to the in-person event- delegates may vote at any point during the window.

Absolutely. Voting will be conducted through ElectionBuddy, a secure electronic platform. Each delegate receives a unique access key. The Elections and Credentials Committee will validate votes, but individual voter identities and selections will remain confidential.

The Elections and Credentials Committee will review and validate all results. The Chair of the Committee will then report the outcome to the AFA Chair of the Board. Results will be shared with all delegates—both in person and virtual—and posted on the AFA Election Page within 48 hours of the announcement.

If a run-off ballot is necessary for one or more contested positions, electronic voting will happen between September 17 – 24. Each credentialled voter will receive an email, once again, with a link. The same process from the Elections Committee would apply and results will be communicated to all credentialed voters.

If a run-off is required, all eligible delegates will be contacted via email with voting instructions.

 Delegates will not hear from candidates on the Convention floor, however, speeches and supporting speeches will be available on AFA’s National Convention website prior to voting.

Yes, a brief tutorial is available here. Assistance will be available via elections@afa.org during the voting period.

Yes. ElectionBuddy is a mobile-friendly platform and can be accessed from smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Candidate videos will be posted in advance on AFA’s National Convention page.

We will have a standard recorder in the room to provide official transcripts of the business sessions for the National Convention, however we will not video record the actual sessions.

AFA does have some states with only one chapter; therefore, no State organization exists. In this case, your chapter president that resides in that state will submit their Delegate Form. If you would like to be included on their list, please contact your Region President. Contact Field@afa.org for assistance on who to contact.

No. The State President may appoint any credentialed delegate from their state as the Head of Delegation. Additionally, for single chapters in a state without a state president, the chapter president will act as Head of Delegation or have their Region President appoint a representative.  Lastly, for the AFA Board delegation, the Secretary of the Board will be HOD unless h/she appoints someone within the Board to be Head of Delegation.

Your State President, Board Secretary or chapter president (without a state organization) will receive the official Voting Strength Report in July. A preliminary report (as of March 31) will be provided earlier for planning. Voting strength typically changes very little between March and July.

If a credentialed delegate does not submit a vote by the deadline, their vote is forfeited.

Please access your State’s Field Portal. From the Field Portal you can access your membership roster and search the name of your voter. You’ll find his/her membership number in that list. If you need assistance in accessing the Field Portal, please contact Field@afa.org. 

Article VII, Section 2 of the AFA Bylaws states, “An electronic voter may only be substituted if the Association receives notice from the designating authority, provided that there is adequate time to make the substitution in the voting system.”  This means, the August 22 deadline is a HARD deadline, and changes cannot be made after that date. You can make a change to your voter form prior to the deadline; however, you must contact elections@afa.org to notify staff of your changes.

There is no block voting in the elections. Each delegate casts their own individual ballot through the ElectionBuddy platform. If a state does not submit a delegate form reflecting its full voting strength, any unused votes will be forfeited. Please make sure your state is utilizing its full voting strength- this ensures more votes are cast and more voices are heard.

Yes. Last year when we went to a new electronic voting platform, we removed the voting process from being an official function of the National Convention.  However, in 2025, moving into a fully-hybrid Convention, voting has returned to an official function of the National Convention, therefore you can only be an authorized delegate for your state/delegation if you have registered to attend the Convention either in person or virtually.

Yes, a delegate may switch from virtual to in-person participation, but only if the change is made before the credentialing deadline of August 22. Please note that a difference in the registration fee may apply. To make the change, contact elections@afa.org as soon as possible.