What is the House of Delegates (HOD)?
The HOD, which normally convenes during ONA’s biennial convention, is the primary governing body of ONA. Delegates from our constituent associations come together to play a crucial role in determining policy for our organization. As a membership driven organization, ONA depends on experienced and “first time” delegates alike to bring important perspective to HOD discussions.
At the HOD, delegates will hear reports from the Board of Directors, Constituent Associations (CA), cabinets, or affiliate organizations. They might be asked to vote on resolutions and amendments brought forth by ONA's cabinets, CAs or others.
ONA encourages its members and delegates to come participate in convention as well! The 2026 ONA Convention and House of Delegates will be held May 4-6, 2026 in Eugene, OR. The theme for the convention is "Meeting the Moment: Leading the Way for our Patients and Communities". The convention will feature a day and a half of continuing education sessions and one day of the ONA House of Delegates.
ONA members can register for and attend ONA’s continuing education days. However, only ONA delegates can participate in the HOD business on May 6, though non-delegates may attend as observers.
2026 Delegate Dates & Deadlines
To become a delegate at the ONA House of Delegates and represent your ONA Constituent Association (CA), you must complete a delegate nomination form during the nomination period and if there are more delegate nominations than open delegate spots, be elected
to the position.
To become a delegate:
- Delegate Nominations Open: Dec. 19
- Nominations Close: Feb. 16
- Announcements of delegates (for uncontested races) and Candidates (for contested races): Feb. 23
- Election Opens (if necessary): March 12
- Election Closes (if necessary): March 20
Once a delegate:
- Deadline for Bylaws Amendments: February 10
- Deadline to Submit Resolutions: March 1
- Delegate packets sent for review ahead of HOD: April 15
- Delegate forums to review in person processes: Late April
Process to Become a Delegate
- Step 1: Complete the nomination form when available in December. Each Constituent Association may hold an election to determine delegates if there are more nominations than open positions.
You will be notified at the end of the nomination process about your delegate status.
- Step 2:
You must register to attend the Convention and House of Delegates to
choose which days you are attending and to ensure we have the correct
food and accommodations for everyone attending.
What is a Delegate?
Every other year, new and experienced members have the opportunity to help guide the work of the organization and serve as elected delegates from their Constituent Association. It is critical to get delegates from around the state to bring your perspective
and voice to ONA and help determine our organization’s future at the HOD.
As a delegate, you can discuss changes to ONA, vote on new ONA policies, and hear reports from ONA’s Board of Directors, cabinets, constituent associations and other leadership groups.
Who is Eligible to Become a Delegate?
Prior to convention, an ONA member in good standing* can be elected as a delegate to the HOD via their respective Constituent Association (CA).
*As per the ONA bylaws, article 2 section 2, the delegate must be a member in good standing prior to Nov. 1, 2025 and remain in good standing through the HOD.
For those represented by ONA in a newly organized unit, bargaining a first contract or bargaining for your unit to be included in an existing contract, you must be a Power In Member to be considered a member in good standing. Power In members are part of the At-Large Constituent Association.
What is a Constituent Association?
Constituent Associations (CAs) (formerly known as districts) are the ONA bodies that elect and submit delegates to the House of Delegates.
CAs can be made up of one ONA collective bargaining unit, or multiple bargaining units and non-union members grouped together by geography (Oregon counties). Members who are not in an established CA are part of an “at-large” CA. CAs can also be made up
of special interest groups, although none currently exist.
Each CA is governed by a set of bylaws and have officers that are elected by members in the CA. You can learn more about each CA by clicking on any of the CA names below.
How Many Delegates Represent Each CA?
Each ONA Constituent Association (CA) is eligible to send a proportional delegation based on the number of members within the association. See below for the number of delegates each CA could send to the 2024 House of Delegates. The delegate count for 2026 will be determined based on a membership count on Nov. 30, 2025, as per the ONA bylaws.
2024 Delegate Apportionment Count
Funding Support for Delegates
ONA delegates are encouraged to utilize the professional development language in their contracts to pay for this continuing education (CE) event. Additional travel, lodging and education reimbursements may be available through your bargaining unit or
constituent association. Details will be available after the delegate count is released in December.
ONA Bylaws Amendments and Resolutions
The ONA House of Delegates (HOD) will be held May 6, 2026, during which potential resolutions and proposed amendments to the ONA Bylaws will be presented and voted on by delegates. Before the HOD can vote on a proposed amendment or resolution, they must be submitted to the bylaws committee for review (as per the ONA Bylaws Article VI).
