Shawn Fain and the United UAW slate are headed toward a sweeping victory in the union’s internal elections for its International Executive Board. The results will not be finalized for some time, but the unofficial results are unequivocal: United Auto Workers members are overwhelmingly backing Fain and the militant direction he is taking the union.

Voter turnout was low, about 10 percent of the total number of active and retired members, and appears to be on track for a lower total vote count than when the UAW held its first direct election of top union officers in 2022. Previously, officers were elected by delegates at the union’s annual convention, a system that helped entrench the ruling Administration Caucus in power for more than seven decades.

Fain eked out an upset victory against incumbent President Ray Curry in a runoff election and was officially sworn in as the first directly elected UAW president in March 2023. I worked for him as chief of staff at the UAW from 2023 to earlier this year. Now, three and a half years later, Fain is on track to become the first directly elected president to win reelection.