COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The referees have spoken, and the votes have been counted.
In an election that saw a historically high turnout rate of 57%, Matt Tucker, Bruce Gillman and Brandon Rochelle were elected to the 2024 Referees’ Commission Nominating Committee.
The three longtime referees will join the eight-member Referees’ Commission Nominating Committee, which has the power to select the nominees for the upcoming Referees’ Commission general election, held this May.
Tucker, Gillman and Rochelle were chosen from 10 high-quality candidates — each an active referee who has officiated at least one national tournament in the 2022-23 or 2023-24 seasons.
We congratulate the three winners and extend our thanks to all the candidates for participating and — more importantly — for their continued service to USA Fencing.
This Referees’ Commission Nominating Committee election was unique in that it’s really an “election before the election.”
Tucker, Gillman and Rochelle fill the three elected seats on the eight-member Referees’ Commission Nominating Committee. The other seats are occupied by two current RC members not running for re-election, two athletes and one Board member.
The Referees’ Commission Nominating Committee, or RCNC, has the power to select the nominees for the upcoming Referees’ Commission general election, set for May 13–27.
Any eligible referee can submit a nomination for one of four seats up for election:
Chair
Vice-Chair of the Domestic Development Committee — Grassroots
Vice-Chair of the Domestic Development Committee — National
Referee Ombuds
Once nominations are in, the RCNC reviews the submissions and selects two candidates for each open position. Then, referees vote on which of the two should fill each seat.
Of the 280 eligible voters, 160 participated in this year’s RCNC election — a turnout of 57.1%.
That’s the highest turnout in at least the last three RCNC elections:
2022: 44.1%
2020: 41.2%
2018: 41.1%
(We did not have immediate access to the turnout numbers prior to 2018.)
*Note: The 2024 election also will include a vote for the Board of Directors and the Hall of Fame.
Name | Votes Received | Percentage of Votes |
---|---|---|
Matt Tucker | 92 | 21.35% |
Bruce Gillman | 55 | 12.76% |
Brandon Rochelle | 50 | 11.60% |
Greg Domashovetz | 46 | 10.67% |
Doug Findlay | 46 | 10.67% |
Jackson Huemer | 44 | 10.21% |
Abdel Salem | 38 | 8.82% |
Andrew Lambdin-Abraham | 29 | 6.73% |
Mark Segal | 22 | 5.10% |
Rick Mayer | 9 | 2.09% |
Tag(s): Updates 2024 Election Election 2024