Board candidacy declarations due May 25

The Indigenous Journalists Association elections will be held online July 8-22 and in-person July 22-23 in Portland, Ore. Voting IJA members in good standing will elect four members to the board of directors.

IJA is calling for board candidate declarations through May 25. There are three vacancies for three-year terms running through 2029 and one vacancy for a one-year term ending in 2027.

For online voting, eligible IJA members will receive a unique link in the email associated with their membership. Members may only cast one vote, either online or in-person. All votes will be verified so there are no duplicates.

In-person voting will take place on Wednesday, July 22, from 5-7 p.m. PST at the The Redd on Salmon Street and on Thursday, July 23, from 1-2 p.m. PST at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront following the IJA Membership Luncheon, in coordination with the 2026 Indigenous Media Conference, July 22-24.

Election results will be announced live during the Indigenous Media Awards Banquet on Friday, July 24.

Declaring Board Candidacy  

The IJA Board of Directors comprises qualified volunteers who dedicate their time and talents to strengthening journalism in Indigenous communities and beyond. 

Board members are required to attend monthly meetings and serve on designated committees. Meeting times are determined by the board on a month-to-month basis but usually occur on the first Thursday of the month. If an elected member misses more than three meetings due to unexcused absences, they may be removed from office. 

Board members are required to engage in fundraising efforts for the organization. Fundraising supports membership and a pipeline of Indigenous talent into media careers, including, but not limited to, the Indigenous Journalism Fellowship and Indigenous Media Initiative.

Candidates must be verified IJA members in good standing in order to be eligible to run for any position within the board. Associate members and non-voting members are not eligible for board candidacy. Read more about nominations and board elections in Article VII of the NAJA bylaws.

After the IJA Election Committee has determined eligibility, candidates will be sent a Google Form where they will submit a biography, photo, resumé and personal statement about how they will address membership needs, support the current strategic plan and help the organization meet fundraising goals (no more than 500 words).

All candidacy declarations must be submitted to IJA Governance and Elections Committee Co-Chair Angel Ellis at committees@indigenousjournalists.org by 5 p.m. CDT on May 25, 2026. 

Election Guidelines

The current Native American Journalists Association bylaws state, under Article VII, Section 1, that the membership shall determine the election process.

In 1996, the NAJA membership voted to establish an Election Committee to organize and facilitate annual board elections. The following guidelines were adopted on June 22, 1996. They were later revised and adopted by the board on March 26, 2006, and updated in March 2009.

Declaration of board candidacy:

Candidates must declare their intention to run for the board between Jan. 1 and six weeks before the election (deadline: May 26, 2026).

After their eligibility to run for the board has been determined, candidates shall submit a photo, bio and brief summary of what the candidate hopes to achieve through service on the board, including fundraising goals and ideas.

In addition, the NAJA Board of Directors has adopted the following definition of “media professional” and recommended procedure for the Election Board to follow:

“A media professional is defined as a journalist who works for either tribal media or mainstream media and earns 51 percent of his or her annual income through journalism. A journalist is someone who works in the gathering, writing, editing, photographing, publishing and disseminating of news as through, but not limited to, a newspaper, magazine, radio, television station, or World Wide Web publication owned and operated by a news media outlet.”

“Determining whether a board candidate is eligible to hold office shall be the responsibility of the Election Committee. When the NAJA office receives written notification that a NAJA member has declared his or her candidacy for office, the Election Committee has 21 days to notify the candidate in writing whether he or she is eligible to run for the NAJA board. The written determination of eligibility will be sent to the candidate, with copies to the NAJA President and Executive Director. Any candidate determined ineligible will receive an explanation for the ruling within the notification letter.”

“An election report shall be prepared and distributed during the annual membership meeting. The report shall include the list of board candidates and any explanations why a candidate was determined ineligible to run, along with general procedures followed during that year’s election process.”

(Note: This policy shall be published in every document that NAJA releases concerning board candidates)

Candidates must declare their intention to run for the IJA Board no later than 5 p.m. CDT on May 25, 2026.