In the fall of 2025, fifty-eight forums will elect Delegate Assembly representatives. The executive committees of these forums must conduct the following nomination process:
The voting members of the forum’s executive committee will be responsible for nominating one candidate and for reviewing all the nominees suggested by the membership (including self-nominations) and choosing from these one candidate to be paired with the executive committee’s choice. Membership suggestions will be solicited through the forums’ groups on MLA Commons. If fewer than three suggestions are received from the membership, the executive committee will be encouraged to give serious consideration to these suggestions but will not be required to use them. If there are no suggestions from the membership, the executive committee will nominate both candidates. Before their names are placed on the ballot, nominees must agree to accept the nomination and to provide CVs and a statement on matters of professional concern.
A ballot for each forum delegate election will be made available to members who have a primary affiliation with the forum in question. Elected forum delegates will be required to have a primary affiliation with the forum they represent.
The term of fifty-two of the delegates elected in the fall of 2025 (see the PDF linked above) will begin on 12 January 2026 (the day after the 2026 convention ends) and end on the last day of the January 2029 convention. Since an elected delegate who cannot attend an assembly meeting may not be represented by proxy, each forum’s delegate should be willing and able to attend the meetings of the assembly in 2027, 2028, and 2029. (The January 2027 convention will be held in Los Angeles; the locations of the January 2028 and January 2029 conventions have not yet been determined.) Please read this additional information about assembly service.
Six forum executive committees did not arrange elections in the fall of 2024; they will be arranging their elections in 2025. (See the PDF linked above for a list of those forums). Delegates who are elected to represent those forums will serve two-year terms. They will begin their terms on 12 January 2026 (the day after the 2026 convention ends) and end on the last day of the January 2028 convention. Since an elected delegate who cannot attend an assembly meeting may not be represented by proxy, each forum’s delegate should be willing and able to attend the meetings of the assembly in 2027 and 2028. (The January 2027 convention will be held in Los Angeles; the location of the January 2028 convention has not yet been determined.) Please read this additional information about assembly service.
The executive committees of the forums that need to arrange elections in 2025 will take up the matter of nominations during their meetings in January 2025. Suggestions made by 31 December should be sent to governance@mla.org and should include the following information: the name of the member suggested; affiliation, department, and rank, if any; and a brief statement (100–200 words) of qualifications. Suggestions made on or after 1 January should be sent directly to the chair of the forum executive committee.
