2026 UC-AFT Statewide Special Election

The Nominations and Elections Committee is pleased to announce the candidates for the 2026 UC-AFT Statewide Special Election. Candidate statements are below. Voting will be open December 7 to 13, 2026 – key events are noted the nomination and election timeline at the end of this page.

This election will be conducted using ranked choice voting, in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. For details about the tallying method for ranked choice voting, please see Election FAQs under the “What’s on the ballot?” section.

Candidates

Sharareh Frouzesh, Lecturer, Irvine Chapter

Joseph Navarro, Lecturer, Santa Cruz Chapter

Emiko Saldívar, Lecturer, Santa Barbara Chapter

Stephanie Ann-Wilms Simpson, Lecturer, Riverside Chapter

Candidate Statements

Candidate statements are due by November 7 and will be posted here no later than November 8, 2026.

Nomination and election timeline

Nominations period: Tuesday Sep. 22 to Thursday Oct. 22
Candidate acceptance of nomination due: Thursday Oct. 22
List of candidates distributed and posted: Friday Oct. 23
Candidate statements due: Saturday Nov. 7 (posted by Nov. 8)
Two candidate forums: week of Nov. 9 and week of Nov. 30 (specific dates TBD)
Voting: Monday Dec. 7 (ballots sent 8 a.m.) to Sunday Dec. 13 (ballot closes 5 p.m.)
Announcement of election result: no later than Dec. 15
Term of office: Jan. 15, 2027 to June 30, 2029