Intersect Sets 2026 Board Election for Two Member-Elected Seats

Intersect has announced its 2026 Board election, opening two member-elected seats as the terms of Adam Rusch and Kavinda Kariyapperuma approach completion. The vote will determine part of the leadership responsible for the organization’s strategy, financial sustainability, governance and risk oversight across its work supporting Cardano.

Two Intersect Board Seats Enter the 2026 Vote

Intersect is a member-based organization that coordinates governance, open-source development and ecosystem initiatives connected to Cardano. Its Board consists of seven directors, four of whom are elected by members, giving elected representatives a majority of the seats.

The two successful candidates will each receive a two-year term. According to Intersect’s election announcement, directors are expected to bring member perspectives into Board discussions while exercising independent judgment in the interests of the organization.

The position includes shared responsibility for strategic direction, organizational governance, financial stability, accountability and risk management. Candidates must also be prepared to manage conflicts of interest and provide the time required for Board meetings and supporting work.

The election is separate from Cardano’s on-chain governance system. Holding ADA does not provide voting rights in the Intersect process, and delegated ADA does not determine the weight of a member’s vote.

Candidate and Voter Requirements Tighten

Candidates must have held Intersect membership for at least 180 days before applications open and remain in good standing. They must also have completed at least one previous term as a voting member of an Intersect committee or as a member of the Board.

Identity verification is required for both candidates and voters. Intersect has updated the process following feedback from previous voting events, removing proof of address while retaining identity, liveness and mobile verification.

Members can complete standard KYC or use a decentralized identity option powered by Socious, which has been aligned with the same verification requirements.

Candidates elected to the Board must provide their legal name and address for filings with the Wyoming Secretary of State, reflecting Intersect’s status as a Wyoming not-for-profit corporation.

Voting eligibility is limited to Individual and Enterprise members who have maintained membership for at least 180 days before voting begins, remain in good standing and complete the required verification. Associate membership does not provide voting rights in the election.

Applications Open on August 31

Candidate applications open at 12:00 UTC on August 31 and close at 12:00 UTC on September 11. The voting period begins on September 14 and ends on September 25, with results scheduled for publication on September 28.

Members can review the application form before the submission window opens. Translated versions are available in Spanish, French, Sinhala, Tamil and Japanese.

The 2026 process also separates the Board election from Intersect committee elections. During its election briefing, Intersect said the next committee election cycle will move to April 2027 as committee terms transition from one year to two years.

Following publication of the audited Board results, the incoming directors are expected to overlap with the outgoing members before the existing terms conclude in late October. That transition period gives the two newly elected directors time to enter the Board’s operational and governance work before assuming their full responsibilities.