The NRA Bylaws provide for the election of one-third of the members of the Board of Directors each year. This means that the terms of office of 25 Board members will expire at the 2026 Annual Meeting of Members in Houston, Texas, on April 18, 2026. Also, any members filling vacancies on the Board that occurred after the last regular election must stand for election in 2026 in the same manner as the 25 whose terms normally expire at that time.
Additionally, one Director is elected for a one-year term on the occasion of each Annual Meeting of Members, by a plurality of the votes cast by individual members present in person and entitled to vote. The candidates for this 76th Director seat are those who were nominated for election on the mail ballot, but were not elected by mail.
The NRA Board of Directors is listed in the box below according to the expiration of their terms of office. You may, if you wish, recommend any of the present Directors whose term expires in 2026. DO NOT RECOMMEND any of those whose terms expire in 2027 or 2028.
The Nominating Committee will meet in Fairfax, Virginia on August 23, 2025 to select Director nominees.
There are two ways NRA members can place names of eligible members in consideration for Board service. One is to recommend them to the Nominating Committee for consideration, and the other is to circulate a petition obtaining the required signatures for placement on the ballot.
The following information about each process has been summarized from the NRA Bylaws. A copy of the Bylaws will be provided to any member who sends his or her request to the NRA Secretary along with a return addressed, stamped envelope ($1.90 postage required).
Recommendations to the Nominating Committee
All NRA members are urged to recommend qualified individuals as nominees for election to the NRA Board of Directors. The required qualifications include: having sufficient time to effectively carry out the duties of a Board member; affirming a commitment to abide by duties of good faith and care; affirming a commitment to abide by the NRA Bylaws and policies established by the NRA Board; being free of potential conflicts of interest; and exhibits integrity, professionalism, and showing clear support for the interests of the NRA.
1. Recommend as many persons as you feel are well qualified. You may supplement your recommendation with any background or biographical material that you feel would be helpful to the Nominating Committee in arriving at its decision.
2. If in doubt as to the membership status of any person you wish to recommend as a nominee, submit the recommendation and the membership status will be checked at NRA Headquarters.
3. These recommendations should be received by the Secretary as soon as possible, but must be received no later than August 3, 2025 (20 days prior to the Nominating Committee meeting).
Nominations By Petition
Any member (sponsor) may submit petitions calling for the nomination of qualified members to the Board (see eligibility requirements in the box on the next page). The sponsor may be an NRA-affiliated organization. Petition packets may be obtained from the NRA Secretary. Requests should be mailed to the Secretary at the address printed on the following page.
There is now an online alternative for circulating petitions through the NRA’s DirectNominations site. Those requesting a petition packet may also request a link to circulate and gather signatures electronically. Candidates will be provided with a link to a web-based petition form. Candidates will be able to create their own password and will have the ability to add photographs, resumes, cover letters, etc. Similar to a paper copy of the petition form, in order to be valid the signature must include a member’s identification number, first name, last name, street address, city, state, and zip code.
1. Petitions must be received no later than October 7, 2025 (no more than 45 days after the Nominating Committee meeting), either physically or electronically.
2. No petition for nomination of a Director shall contain the name of more than one proposed nominee, and no more than one signature by any member shall be counted on an official petition for any one candidate.
3. Proposed nominees must indicate their principal city and state of residence.
4. A petition shall not be circulated without the proposed nominee’s written permission, and that permission must be on file with the NRA Secretary by the deadline for receipt of petitions.
5. Only official petition forms provided by the Secretary’s Office, which may be duplicated in full size (8 ½” x 11”), may be used to collect petition signatures.
6. The petition may contain a brief resume approved by the prospective nominee.
7. The name, address and membership number of the sponsor MUST be indicated on each sheet of the petition.
8. The name of the person circulating the petition sheet, if different from the sponsor, whether the sponsor be an individual or organizational member, should be indicated on each sheet.
9. Petitions MUST bear the membership identification numbers, names, addresses (street, city, state, zip code), signatures and date of signing of no less than 363 members eligible to vote (0.5% of the number of valid ballots cast in the most recent mail ballot election of directors). Members eligible to vote are Lifetime members and annual members with five or more consecutive years of membership.
10. ANY SIGNATURES OBTAINED BEFORE THE PROSPECTIVE NOMINEE IS QUALIFIED TO HOLD OFFICE WILL BE RULED INVALID.
11. ANY SIGNATURES OBTAINED BEFORE THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS ON APRIL 26, 2025 WILL BE RULED INVALID.
12. SIGNATURES WITHOUT MEMBERSHIP IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS WILL BE INVALID. IF THE NUMBER IS NOT INDICATED ON THE MEMBER’S IDENTIFICATION CARD, HE OR SHE MAY: (a) copy the identification number from his or her NRA magazine label or (b) obtain it by calling NRA’s toll free number: (800) 672-3000. When calling, it is important to give the last name, address and zip code as it is carried on the NRA membership record (including designations such as “Jr.,” “Sr.,” etc.) in order to obtain the proper identification number. Nominees and sponsors may call the toll-free number to obtain membership identification numbers for those who do not include them on signed petitions. Staff is only permitted to give identification numbers, and may not indicate voting status.
If circulating petitions online the petition sponsor, nominee, or circulator will NOT be able to enter membership identification numbers. Members signing online may get their identification number by calling (866-672-3000); checking the mailing label on their monthly magazine; or clicking on the Live Chat window at nramemberservices.org.
13. Not more than five petition nominees shall be from any one state during any one year. If more than five are submitted, the five with the greatest number of valid signatures will be nominated.
14. The Secretary will determine the validity of all petitions received and the eligibility of all signatories.
15. If a petition is determined to be invalid, the Secretary will immediately notify the proposed nominee and the sponsor stating the reason for the ruling. The petitioner may appeal the ruling to the Nominating Committee within 14 days.
16. If the appeal is denied, the petitioner may appeal to the Board of Directors, which will act at its next meeting. If the Board rules the petition valid, the proposed nominee will be declared a nominee for the following year’s election.
Election Procedures
1. The names of those selected by the Nominating Committee and of those nominated by petition, together with short biographical sketches, will be published in the February 2025 Official Journals.
2. A ballot will be mailed to each member eligible to vote. It will contain the list of names proposed by the Nominating Committee and those nominated by petition and, in addition, provide five blank spaces for write-in candidates.
3. The ballot, properly executed, must be returned by the date indicated on the ballot.
THE NRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Terms Expire in 2026
Thomas P. Arvas
Clel Baudler
J. William Carter
Ted W. Carter
Patricia A. Clark
Charles L. Cotton
Richard Fairburn
Charles T. Hiltunen, III
Curtis S. Jenkins
Amy Heath Lovato
Robert E. Mansell
James W. Porter II
Jay Printz
David Raney
Mark Robinson
Barbara Rumpel
Steven C. Schreiner
John C. Sigler
Leroy Sisco
Danny Stowers
Amanda Suffecool
*Mark E. Vaughan
Linda L. Walker
Judi White
Bruce Widener
Eb Wilkinson
Terms Expire in 2027
Scott L. Bach
*William A. Bachenberg
Ronnie G. Barrett
Charles R. Beers, III
Donald J. Bradway
Dean Cain
David G. Coy
Rick Ector
Edie P. Fleeman
Joel Friedman
Dennis Fusaro
Craig Haggard
Maria Heil
Niger Innis
Phillip B. Journey
Jeff Knox
*Rocky Marshall
Bill Miller
Owen Buz Mills
Janet D. Nyce
Wayne Anthony Ross
Don Saba
Craig Swartz
Jim Tomes
Robert J. Wos
Terms Expire in 2028
Bob Barr
Sharon Callan
Anthony P. Colandro
Larry E. Craig
Todd R. Ellis
Robert Scott Emslie
Lawrence D. Finder
James J. Fotis
Carol Frampton
Sandra S. Froman
Jonathan S. Goldstein
Philip Gray
Jack Hagan
Al Hammond
Theresa Inacker
Willes K. Lee
Howard L. Massingill, Jr.
Mitzy McCorvey
John Richardson
James A. Sheckels
Dwight D. Van Horn
Blaine Wade
Knox Williams
Jason Wilson
Cathy Wright
*Officer
The NRA Board of Directors consists of 75 NRA members elected by mail ballot, and one member elected on the occasion of the Annual Meeting of Members. The right to hold the office of Director is limited to NRA Lifetime members who have attained the age of 18 years, are citizens of the United States and not prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law, and who have been Lifetime members for at least five years at the time of nomination. Directors are elected for three-year terms, with the exception of the Director elected at the Annual Meeting of Members, who serves for one year. The terms of office of one-third of the Board expire each year.
The Board of Directors has general charge of the affairs and property of the Association, and formulates and establishes the broad policies and programs under which the Association operates. In past years, the Nominating Committee has taken several factors into consideration concerning those recommended for election to the Board. The Committee has felt that nominees should be persons well-known and respected in their communities, with broad experience and background in the affairs of the Association, and with the time necessary to devote to NRA activities. While these factors are not requirements, they may help in the selection of those recommended for nomination to the Board.
2025-2026 NOMINATING COMMITTEE
The members of the Nominating Committee elected by the Board are as follows:
Cam Edwards, Dillwyn, VA; Al Hammond, Alachua, FL; Maria Heil, New Freedom, PA; Robben Love, Bullhead City, AZ; Mitzy McCorvey, Houston, TX; Owen Buz Mills, Paulden, AZ; Janet D. Nyce, Elliottsburg, PA; Susan Springhorn, Raleigh, NC; Robert J. Wos, Sarasota, FL.
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