Inside the 2026 American Racing Pigeon Union Officer and Director Elections

Every four years, the American Racing Pigeon Union puts its leadership up for a vote, and this summer was one of those years. I wanted to break down exactly what happened, who’s on the ballot, and what it actually means for the roughly 700 clubs that fly under the AU banner — because a lot of members skim past election notices without realizing how much these seats shape the sport day to day.

The Timeline

Voting opened June 1, 2026, and closed at 5:00 p.m. Central time on July 15, 2026. AU Executive Director Lauren Gandara issued the official announcement kicking things off, confirming that every eligible member received a paper ballot by mail, with the option to return it by mail or vote online instead. Members with an email address on file with the AU also got their voting information sent electronically for convenience.

The AU used a third-party election administrator, YesElections, to run the voting process — members received an email titled “American Racing Pigeon Union 2026 Election” from YesElections on June 1, and were reminded to check spam, junk, or promotions folders if it didn’t show up in a normal inbox. Each eligible member was allowed to cast only one ballot, either electronically or on paper, not both.

What Was Actually on the Ballot

Under the AU Constitution and Bylaws, officers and directors serve four-year terms, which is why these elections carry real weight — whoever wins these seats is setting direction for the union through 2030. This year’s election covered the offices of President, Executive Vice President, Vice President, Treasurer, Lakes Zone Director, Southwest Zone Director, and Pacific Mountain Zone Director.

One detail worth calling out for anyone newer to AU governance: the Treasurer position was newly created as an elected office for this election cycle. That’s a structural change to how the union’s finances are overseen, not just a routine seat up for renewal.

The Candidates

Here’s the full slate that appeared on the 2026 ballot:

National Officers

  • President: Crazy Al Christeleit
  • Executive Vice President: Terry Finnerty
  • Vice President: No candidate filed
  • Treasurer: Butch Shoop

Zone Directors

  • Lakes Zone Director: Dave Wilson — covering Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia
  • Southwest Zone Director: Roland Gutierrez — covering Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico and other Caribbean locations, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
  • Pacific Mountain Zone Director: Tim Perry — covering Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada

Every one of these races was uncontested — meaning each candidate ran unopposed. Even so, the AU still required members to formally vote rather than simply seating the candidates by default, which keeps the process transparent and on the record.

The Open Question: No Candidate for Vice President

The most notable wrinkle in this election is that nobody filed for Vice President. That’s not a small procedural footnote — it leaves one of the union’s top national offices without an elected occupant heading into the new term.

Fortunately, the AU’s governing documents anticipate exactly this scenario. Under the AU Constitution and Bylaws, if the Vice President’s office sits vacant, the President has the authority to appoint someone to fill it, subject to the advice and consent of the AU Board of Directors, until a successor is either elected or appointed and takes office. So members should expect an appointment announcement from incoming President Crazy Al Christeleit at some point after the new term begins, rather than the seat sitting empty for four years.

Why an Uncontested Election Still Matters

It might be tempting to shrug off an election where every race was uncontested — what’s really being decided, after all? But I’d push back on that a little. These are the people who will be setting AU policy on everything from race rules to the national database to how the union handles disputes between member clubs, for the next four years. An uncontested race still means members had the opportunity to weigh in, and the AU clearly wanted that on the record rather than skipping the formal vote.

It’s also worth noting who’s already on the AU’s board heading into this cycle. Terry Finnerty, who ran for Executive Vice President this cycle, has been serving as a Director with a term that was up for reelection in 2026. Robbie Whaley, DVM, currently the AU’s Vice President in an administrative sense, also had a director term up for reelection this year. Understanding who’s rotating in and out of these roles helps make sense of why certain names keep showing up across different offices over the years — a lot of AU leadership has deep, overlapping tenure in the organization.

What Happens Next

With ballots closed as of July 15, members should expect official results and a new-term announcement from the AU in the near future, if it hasn’t already circulated through club channels. If you’re an AU member and haven’t heard anything from your combine or federation yet, it’s worth reaching out to your club secretary or checking the AU’s official site directly — election results and any Vice President appointment news should be posted there.

For members with questions about the process itself, the AU’s national office can be reached at 405-848-5801, and technical questions about the electronic voting system specifically can go to YesElections at Help+ARPU@YesElections.com or 866-384-9978.

Whatever your combine, whatever zone you fly in, it’s worth staying plugged into these elections. The people elected this summer will be shaping the sport’s national direction through 2030 — and that affects every one of us with birds in the loft.

Source: Racing Pigeon Digest, “AU Members Begin Voting in 2026 Election,” June 1, 2026, citing an official statement from AU Executive Director Lauren Gandara.