With the 2024 presidential and congressional elections now in the rearview mirror, it’s vitally important that all of us remain focused on our guiding issue—protecting the Second Amendment and all aspects thereof. In this regard, one of the most important things each of us can do to ensure our voices are heard as we move forward into 2025 is to vote for the NRA Board of Directors.
As a quick reminder, the NRA Board of Directors is made up of 76 members, 75 of which are elected to staggered, three-year terms by eligible voting members of the NRA during the annual board election. Each elected director holds office from the adjournment of the Annual Meeting of Members at which their election is announced until the adjournment of the third Annual Meeting of Members next following such election or until their successor is elected and qualified.
One director, the “76th Director,” is elected annually by participants at the Annual Meeting of Members and holds the office until the next Annual Meeting. The bottom line is that members voting in this year’s board election will elect or re-elect 25 directors who will serve on the board for the next three years.
The Board of Directors formulates policies, governs and has general oversight over the affairs and property of the association. Equally important, the board is responsible for electing, from the pool of board members, the officers to lead the NRA, including the president, two vice presidents, the executive vice president, the secretary and the treasurer, along with members of the executive committee.
The Board of Directors convenes for three regular meetings a year, where members get together to govern the affairs of the association. If necessary, a special meeting can be held at any time at the call of the president.
Given the critical role the Board of Directors plays in our association’s present and future, one would think that NRA members would be very interested in participating in the annual Board election and helping elect the candidates they believe will best lead us into the future. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case of late.
According to NRA Secretary John Frazer, voter turnout in the Board of Directors election has been dismal over the past decade, with only about 3% to 8% of members casting a vote in the annual election.
Friends, we’ve just got to do better than that.
After all, how do you get your voice heard if you don’t participate in one of the best ways to be heard?
I sometimes hear members complain that they wish they could have more input into the direction our association is going and the way it is being led. Many are unaware that they can have more input through the annual Board of Directors election. If you don’t vote, you have very little say in the future of our association.
That’s why I am urging every eligible NRA member to vote in this year’s election. Ballots will be included in the February issue of all Official Journals, but I believe this topic is so important that I want to urge members to start thinking about the Board elections now so they don’t accidentally miss the opportunity to participate next month. Directions for voting are straightforward, and casting your vote is simple—just fill out your ballot marking the requisite number of names and mail it in. It couldn’t be easier!
A strong and involved NRA membership is the very best defense we can have against the gun-control forces we constantly face, and it also is the very best way we can ensure that our education, training, competition and advocacy programs meet and exceed the expectations of our millions of members.
So, please, do your part to keep the NRA at the forefront of our God-given and constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms by voting your choices for our Board of Directors!
Thank you.
