The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Board of Directors has scheduled a Special Meeting of Members for Thursday, October 1 at 11am, at which nominees for the 2026 election will be announced and additional nominations may be submitted in accordance with the MTHA bylaws.

In late July, the Board unanimously authorized President Katharine M. Voss to appoint five (5) MTHA members to serve as the Nominating Committee. Once the committee members have been selected, their appointments will be submitted to the Board for approval.

Under the bylaws, the Nominating Committee must issue its report of nominees to the Board within ten (10) days of its appointment.

The Special Meeting on October 1, 2026 will be held solely to receive the Committee’s report and consider additional nominations from the floor or by petition. No other business will be conducted at this meeting. A regular meeting of the Board will follow.

NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS

A nomination may be made from the floor but may only be accepted if it receives the endorsement of at least ten (10) MTHA members and is accompanied by the nominee’s written consent.

A nomination also may be submitted by a petition if it is signed by at least twenty-five  (25) MTHA members and is accompanied by the nominee’s written consent.

CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY

The bylaws establish the following eligibility requirements for candidacy:

• A candidate must be an MTHA member as defined in Article III, Section 1 of the bylaws.
• An Owner-only candidate must hold an ownership interest in one (1) or more horses that collectively made at least five (5)  starts at a Maryland track licensed to conduct Thoroughbred racing during the 365 days immediately preceding the close of nominations on October 1, 2026.
• A Trainer candidate must have met at least one (1) of the following requirements during the 365 days immediately preceding the close of nominations on October 1, 2026::
  
  • At least fifty-percent (50%) of the trainer’s starts were made at a Maryland track licensed to conduct Thoroughbred racing; or
  • He or she has accumulated a minimum total of thirty (30) starts at a Maryland track licensed to conduct thoroughbred racing.

ELECTION TIMELINE

The election booklet, which will include biographies of all candidates, is scheduled to be finalized by November 17, 2026.

Ballots and printed election booklets will be mailed on December 1, 2026. Each ballot will include a QR code providing electronic access to the booklet. The mailing also will include the ballot and return envelopes required by the bylaws.

Completed ballots must be received, not mailed, by the close of business on December 31, 2026.

As in recent MTHA elections, members also will have the option to vote online rather than by mail.

MTHA has engaged IntelliScan, an independent third-party election services company, to administer the election. IntelliScan expects to announce the results in early January.

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