Fain leads, but ballot questions delay decision in UAW presidential election

The fate of the UAW presidency hinges on 1,608 challenged ballots, according to an email Saturday night from one of the two presidential campaigns in the union’s runoff election.

Shawn Fain, who is challenging incumbent Ray Curry for the presidency in the union’s first direct election of top leaders, was leading Saturday but not by enough of a margin to secure a victory, according to a news release from Fain’s campaign.

That email said Fain was leading by about 645 votes after counting had been completed for the first batch of resolved challenged ballots.

More:UAW runoff election nears end, counting to start Wednesday

“The majority of the challenged ballots revolve around questions of membership eligibility, a time-consuming process to resolve,” the release said, noting that the count, which began Wednesday, would resume “at some point this coming week.”

Those ballots are to be stored in Dayton, Ohio, at a secure site run by election vendor Merriman River Group, the release said, noting that the count might resume at a location other than Dayton.

“The boxes containing the ballots have been signed and sealed, and observers from the Members United slate and UAWD will be present when the boxes are unsealed. In the meantime, the court-appointed UAW monitor will be gathering information to resolve challenges,” the release said. The UAW Members United Slate is Fain’s slate, and UAWD refers to the dissident Unite All Workers for Democracy caucus.

More:Dissident wins seat on UAW executive board, spurred by disgust of convention vote