NRA Board Nominations

We’ve already covered the composition of the NRA Board of Directors and how members are elected to the board. One of the next frequently misunderstood topics I’ve observed on the internet is how people get on the ballot in the first place.

There are two types of nominations you will see listed in your NRA magazine if you are a voting member. One is by the Nominating Committee, and the other is by Petition. Some director candidates choose to do both to demonstrate grassroots support, even if they have the support of other board members through the Nominating Committee.

First, I’ll address those nominated by petition. Candidates for the board may submit the names and personal information of 250 voting-eligible NRA members to be placed on the ballot. No more than five petition candidates from a single state may be on the ballot in the same year. If more than five submit their petitions, the five with the most valid signatures will be included on the ballot.

Next, we have the Nominating Committee candidates. Each year, the full board votes for a smaller committee made up of nine board members to process through nominations and select candidates they feel would best represent members on the board. For obvious reasons, this process has – at times – been controversial when some did not like the slate of endorsed candidates.

Historically speaking, those candidates endorsed by the Nominating Committee are typically the top vote getters. The candidates themselves usually note their support by the Committee in their official bios to show that they have the support of their fellow board members. In addition, the Committee will publish a list of their endorsed nominees in the same issue as the ballot. Regardless, being endorsed by the Committee is by no means a promise of being winning a seat on the board. In most years, the Committee will endorse more than 25 candidates – more than the number who could possibly win. It’s not unusual to see 30 or more endorsed candidates.