UAW Presidential Runoff Too Close to Call, Fain Has Narrow Lead

The United Auto Workers presidential runoff election is too close to call, with reform candidate Shawn Fain claiming a narrow lead over the weekend.

Whether Fain will oust incumbent President Ray Curry depends on 1,608 remaining challenged ballots, UAW Members United and Unite All Workers for Democracy—which back Fain—said in an update sent on March 4.

The UAW’s court-appointed monitor confirmed that “because the number of unresolved challenged ballots is greater than the margin between the candidates” the challenged votes were now being reviewed.

“The outcome of this race cannot be determined until a sufficient number of these challenged ballots are resolved,” the monitor said in an update on its website. The vote count is scheduled to resume on March 9.

Ballots can be challenged and set aside if either slate raised objections over issues such as a voter’s eligibility.

The union’s presidential contest last year resulted in a runoff after the top two candidates, Curry and Fain, failed to garner enough votes for a clear win.

Members could mail in their votes in the runoff throughout January and February. UAW’s court-appointed monitor began overseeing the runoff ballot count on March 1. About 141,548 ballots were cast.