2026 Referees' Commission Election
Three seats to be filled on the Referees' Commission
Feb. 14, 2026
The USA Fencing Board of Directors appointed Donald Alperstein to the Referees' Commission Nominating Committee.
Feb. 10, 2026
Now Accepting Applications: RC Vice Chair Positions
USA Fencing is accepting applications for three open Referees' Commission positions: Vice Chair of Rules and Examinations, Vice Chair of Domestic Assignments and Vice Chair of International Development and Assignments. Eligible referees should email their application materials to nominations@usafencing.org by 5 p.m. MT on Feb. 24. Read more about qualifications and how to apply.
Feb. 7, 2026
Results: RC Nominating Committee Election
The votes are in. Harrison Hue, Andy Liu and Will Curtis have been elected to the 2026 Referees' Commission Nominating Committee. The three were chosen from a field of 13 candidates in an election that saw a 46.65% turnout among eligible referees. They will join the eight-member committee responsible for selecting nominees for the Referees' Commission general election this May. Read the full results and story here.
Jan. 6, 2026
The RC Nominating Committee election will open on Jan. 27, 2026, and run through 10 p.m. ET on Feb. 6, 2026.
Candidates (alphabetical by last name):
- Susan Burgos
- Will Curtis
- Paul Harris
- Harrison Hue
- Ziad Khayat
- Yassin Khodir
- Andrew Lambdin-Abraham
- Andy Liu
- Jude Offerle
- Kyle Roat
- Zoe Tolbert
- Ipek Irem Ulku
- Jamie Vaughan
Eligible referees will receive their eBallot login credentials via email from eBallot. Messages will come from support@votenet.com or noreply@eballot.com. Please check your inbox (and spam folder) for these messages.
Voters may cast ballots for up to three candidates.
Voting closes at 10 p.m. ET on Feb. 6, 2026.
The 2026 Referees’ Commission election follows a two-step process designed to ensure transparency, fairness and broad representation. This page outlines how the election works, who can participate and key dates to know.
The election process begins with the selection of the Referees’ Commission Nominating Committee.
Eligible referees will elect three peers to serve on this committee, which is responsible for identifying and vetting candidates for the Referees’ Commission election.
What the Nominating Committee does
- Solicits applications for Referees’ Commission positions
- Reviews credentials and conducts interviews
- Nominates up to two candidates for each open position (unless only one candidate applies)
The Nominating Committee does not choose the winners of the Referees’ Commission election. Its role is to help ensure a qualified and representative ballot.
Who serves on the Nominating Committee
- Referees’ Commission Chair (if not running for reelection); otherwise, a vice-chair not running for reelection serves as chair
- One additional Referees’ Commission vice-chair not running for reelection
- Three active referees elected by eligible referees
- Two athletes selected by the USA Fencing Athletes Advisory Council
- One Board member selected by the Board of Directors
Apply to serve on the Nominating Committee
Deadline: 5 p.m. MT, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026
How to apply: Email nominations@usafencing.org with “RC Nominating Committee” in the subject line
Nominating Committee election
Jan. 22–29, 2026
Once the Nominating Committee completes its work, the Referees’ Commission general election will take place.
Positions up for election in 2026
- Vice Chair of the Domestic Assignments Committee
- Vice Chair of the Rules and Examinations Committee
- Vice Chair of the International Assignments and Development Committee
These roles help guide referee assignments, education, evaluation and international development.
Eligible voters for both elections are licensed referees who have officiated at least two qualifying national or international events during the 2023–24, 2024–25 or 2025–26 seasons.
- Jan. 6: Application window opens for RC Nominating Committee
- Jan. 16 (5 p.m. MT): Application window closes
- Jan. 27–Feb. 6: Nominating Committee election
- Feb. 6–13: Call for Referees’ Commission candidates
- Feb. 16 – April 5: Candidate interviews
- April 15: Final candidate list submitted
- April 29: Candidate bios and videos posted
- May 13: Referees’ Commission general election opens
- May 27: Election closes
- May 28: Winners announced
- Aug. 1: Four-year terms begin
Note: The 2026 election also includes votes for the USA Fencing Board of Directors and the Hall of Fame.