Over the past month, American Angus Association^® members have submitted ballots to elect fellow breeders to represent them at the 143rd Convention of Delegates to be held Monday, Nov. 16, in Louisville, Kentucky, as part of the 2026 Angus Convention. Members elected to the positions will participate in the annual business meeting which includes the election of officers and five directors to the American Angus Association^® Board of Directors. 

Ballot counting day takes place following the close of the election period. Paper ballots mailed to the office and received by Aug. 18, will be counted on August 19, by Association staff using a multi-step process which includes several checks and balances to ensure the process follows the guidelines set out in the Breeder’s Reference Guide. Election observers and Association members Lori Fink of Kansas and Jake Tiedeman of Nebraska have been appointed to oversee the process.  

Online ballots will be tabulated by the online voting platform, YesElections. Mailed-in and online votes will then be totaled together, and the results will audited to ensure accuracy of the count and the eligibility of any delegates who were elected through write-in.  
The process is expected to take a few days to complete. The list of 2026 delegates and alternates will be available in the American Angus Association’s Member Center on Angus.org once results have been finalized. Delegates, alternate delegates and chairpersons, the delegate with the highest vote total in each state or district, will be notified by email. 

The Association has been governed through the delegate process since 1924 when the practice of proxy voting was discontinued. To be eligible to vote, nominate or be nominated this year, members needed to be active life or regular members and have met the requirements to be an Eligible Voting Member by April 17, 2026. During the nomination period, nominations can be made by any Eligible Voting Member whose farm or ranch is located in the same herd state as the nominee. Following the close of the nomination period, ballots were prepared and sent to Eligible Voting Members in each voting district (state or Canada) for a voting period, July 17 – August 18, 2026. 

This year’s Convention of Delegates and Angus Convention will be held in conjunction with Angus events at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE). American Angus Association members are invited to attend convention, Nov. 13 – 16, for the meeting, educational sessions and opportunities to connect with fellow producers. Registration and event details are available at AngusConvention.com. Producers can take advantage of early bird pricing through September 10.