Sierra Club Yearly Election Results

with SUSPS analysis

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April, 2005

SIERRA CLUB 2005 ELECTION RESULTS FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS


Elected to the board are: 

* Joni Bosh                   89,549
* Jennifer Ferenstein         87,151
* Jim Dougherty               86,377
* Jim Catlin                  82,459
* Barbara Frank               68,878

Runners-up:
 
Chuck McGrady                 58,900
Jim Dodson                    22,212
Robert van de Hoek            16,775
Christine Garcia              15,398
Alan Kuper                    12,594
Jim McDonald                  11,257
Gregory Bungo                 10,541
Jim Bensman                    9,053
Richard Fiddler                6,633
Tony Ruckel                    5,491


write in                       1,170


Ballot Questions:

Population Immigration Policy             
Yes                            18,998
* No                          102,455


Bylaw Change-end provision for write in candidates       
* Yes                          92,289
No                             26,936


Bylaw Change-one year membership for candidates
* Yes                         115,392
No                              5,272


Election Summary:

Total returns by Internet      31,164
Total returns by mail          93,173
Total returns                 124,337


Invalid ballots returned        2,029
Total valid ballots returned  122,308


Total ballots mailed          807,375
Percent returned               15.20%


Marvin Baker,
Chief Inspector of Election,
For the Inspectors


 
 

April, 2004

SIERRA CLUB 2004 ELECTION RESULTS FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Elected to the board are: 
    * Lisa Renstrom       141,407
    * Jan O'Connell       132,262
    * Nick Aumen          123,622
    * Sanjay Ranchod      123,332
    * David Karpf         110,756

Runners-up:
    Michael Dorsey         42,401
    Ed Dobson              35,825
    Chad Hanson            29,104
    Robert Roy van de Hoek 15,700 **
    Phillip Berry          15,492 ##
    David Pimentel         14,527 **
    Dick Lamm              13,090 **
    Kim McCoy               9,765 **
    Karyn Strickler         8,333
    Frank Morris            8,247 **
    Morris Dees             7,554 ##
    Barbara Herz            7,525 ##

** SUSPS-endorsed candidates
## Fake candidates, whose ballot statements were used to
   oppose SUSPS and other petition candidates
	
Totals do not add to 100% because there were:
       331 write-ins
    14,257 unexercised votes
     4,550 multiple marks [on invalid ballots because
           more than 5 votes cast]

Total returns by Internet: 45,559
Total returns by mail: 126,016
Total returns by fax: 41
Total returns: 171,616
Total mailed:  757,058
Percent returned: 22.67%

Above data from the official Sierra Club
2004 election results page.

Also see the 2004 ballot to read President's
letter and fake candidate statements.

SUSPS analysis of results

The 2004 election for the Sierra Club Board of Directors was characterized by an unprecedented attack on the democracy and fairness principles upon which the Club was founded. The reason: Over the past three years, grassroots supported candidates have won five of the 15-member Board seats and are now poised to win a majority. To preserve their power, 'old guard' establishment directors pulled out all the stops with an unprecedented campaign of disinformation, fear mongering and hostility.

This year, for the first time, the Board allowed fake candidates (Phillip Berry, Morris Dees and Barbara Herz), to appear on the ballot - people who asked members not to vote for themselves and who used their ballot statements to attack other candidates. Also, for the first time, the election materials included a notice from the Board President with false claims about a 'take over' by outside organizations. More examples of unfair electioneering include publishing one-sided articles in Club newsletters, use of Club email lists for mass distribution of pre-election hit pieces, directors and Club employees using confidential information to pressure well known endorsers to revoke endorsements given to candidates, and hiring a high-priced national law firm to threaten the assets of two retired university professors rather than letting their request for an injunction against unfair election practices be decided by a judge on its merits.

Directly, or through innuendo, the fake candidates and Sierra Club President Fahn claimed that certain candidates and certain independent directors represented outside, right wing, anti-immigration, anti-immigrant, vegetarian, and extremist animal rights' organizations that are attempting a 'hostile take over' of the old guard's Sierra Club.

Judge James L. Warren (grandson of Chief Justice Earl Warren) found a "likelihood of success" that club members will prove that Sierra Club President Larry Fahn, fellow old guard board members, and Sierra Club Chief Executive Officer Carl Pope violated Sierra Club Standing Rules and laws of California by depriving Dick Lamm, Frank Morris, David Pimentel and other petition candidates of "equal time" in this election! Post-election challenge of election results by club members likely.

As stated by Judge Warren:

"I do believe that there is probably going to be a pretty good chance of success on the merits with respect to the claim that the Sierra Club has not properly given equal time to all of the candidates... I think that it's very possible on a likelihood of success that plaintiffs will demonstrate that those [the Mayhue article and the urgent election notice] violate various sections of the Corporations Code and of the Sierra Club standing rules."

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, HONORABLE JAMES L. WARREN, JUDGE, DEPARTMENT NO. 301, April 14, 2004. REPORTER'S TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS - Case No. 429277 - CLUB MEMBERS FOR AN HONEST ELECTION vs. SIERRA CLUB.


 
 

April, 2003

SUSPS candidates Doug LaFollette and Paul Watson elected to Board of Directors


SIERRA CLUB 2003 ELECTION RESULTS FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Elected to the board are: 

    * Robbie Cox          28,814 
    * Bernie Zaleha       28,192 
    * Doug LaFollette     27,283 ** 
    * Paul Watson         25,683 **
    * Lisa Force          24,349 

Runners up: 

      Lisa Renstrom       24,057 
      Adam Werbach        22,477 
      Don Young           19,257 
      Gordon LaBedz       19,063 
      Michelle Perrault   18,619 
      Emma McCauley       18,022 
      Betsy Gaines        16,420 
      Nancy Rauch         15,928 
      Dick Schneider      14,545 **
      Patrick Murphy      12,420 
      Connie Hanson       10,155 

** SUSPS-endorsed candidates
	  
ELECTION SUMMARY
      Total returns by Internet = 14,280 
      Total returns by mail = 54,194 
      Total returns = 68,474 

      Total mailed = 786,178 
      Percent returned = 8.71% 	


 
 

April, 2002

SUSPS candidate Ben Zuckerman elected to Board of Directors

SIERRA CLUB 2002 ELECTION RESULTS FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
  
  Board of Directors
  
  *       Elected to the Board
  
  *       Ben Zuckerman           36,383 **
  *       Jim Catlin              33,788
  *       Larry Fahn              32,135
  *       Chuck McGrady           30,532
  *       Marcia Hanscom          30,141
  
          Lois Snedden            28,639
          Charlie Ogle            28,504
          Bernie Zaleha           27,103
          Nancy Rauch             25,199
          Rene Voss               24,204
          James Mays              20,706
          Brian Brademeyer        15,692
          Patrick Murphy          12,798
  
  ** SUSPS-endorsed candidate

  ELECTION SUMMARY
          Total Returns by Internet       11,778  15.95%
          Total Returns by Mail           62,064  84.05%
                                               
          Total Returns                   73,842
  Total Ballots Mailed                   776,586
  Percent Returned                          9.51%
  
  Marvin Baker,
  Chief Inspector of Election, for the Inspectors

 
 

April, 2001

SUSPS population-sprawl ballot question

Board of Directors

*    Elected To Board

*    Nick Aumen                    43,714
*    Ed Dobson                     38,799
*    Jan O'Connell                 38,048
*    Jennifer Ferenstein           37,858
*    Dave Wells                    31,483
     Chuck McGrady                 28,948
     Marcia Hanscom                27,650
     Joan Willey                   27,049
     Richard Fiddler               22,294

	 
	 
Ballot Question One:  
Urban Sprawl/Population Policy

         Yes        28,853
      *  No         33,968


Ballot Question Two:  
Public Land Grazing Policy

         Yes        20,570
      *  No         41,559

   
Election Summary:

Total Ballots Mailed                  683,007
Valid Returns for Directors            66,847
Invalids Returns for Directors            621
Percent Total Returns                     9.8%

Voting By Mail                         58,418
Voting By Internet                      9,050
Total                                  67,468

Marvin Baker,
Chief Inspector of Election, for the Inspectors

SUSPS Analysis of Results - SUSPS 2001 population-sprawl ballot question

Only 9.8% of the Club's 683,000 members voted in this important election. Over 90% of the members did not express an opinion in this election.
 
The final vote of the annual membership election on April 25, 2001 was 33,958 (54%) against and 28,853 (46%) for the population-sprawl ballot question.
 
Translated into percent of total membership, 5% voted against the population-sprawl ballot question and 4.2% voted for it. Thus, less than one percent of the membership (0.8%) made the difference on this important issue.
 
Recalling that Sierra Club members are more concerned about the environment than the typical American, this is the great tragedy of American environmentalism - most people simply don't care.
 
It should also be noted that the Club forced alteration of the ballot question as submitted by petitioners. See more information on the Club's specific actions. Also see our democracy section for questionable actions of the Sierra Club Board in other elections.


 
 

April, 2000

SIERRA CLUB 2000 ELECTION RESULTS FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board of Directors

* Denotes Winner

*    Robbie Cox          39,867
*    Phil Berry          35,738
*    Michael Dorsey      32,404
*    Lisa Renstrom       26,565
*    Chad Hanson         24,849

     Ed Dobson           23,988
     Joan Willey         20,830
     Susan Patton        19,768
     Rhea Jezer          19,056
     Nancy Rauch         18,635
     Alan Kuper          18,416
     Roy Hengerson       14,512
     Chris Bedford       10,588

Election Summary:

    Total Ballots Mailed     646,395
    Total Valid Returns       65,320
    Percent Total Returns     10.11%

Voting by mail            59,283
Voting by Internet         6,037
 Total                    65,320

Marvin Baker,
Chief Inspector of Election, for the Inspectors

 
 

April, 1999

Board attempts to stifle democracy

SIERRA CLUB 1999 ELECTION RESULTS 
FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND BALLOT QUESTIONS

Ballot Question One:  
Revision to Bylaw 4.4  Dues

Yes            44,309           
No              7,258           

Ballot Question Two:  
Revision to Bylaw 11.2 Qualifying Initiatives

Yes            18,258            
No             33,258            


Board of Directors

*    Denotes Winner


*    Anne Ehrlich            21,643
*    Charlie Ogle            19,686
*    Rene Voss               18,446
*    Larry Fahn              17,692
*    Kim Mowrey              17,435

     Nick Aumen              17,153
     Susan Schock            15,744
     Alan Kuper              15,687
     Scott Elkins            15,215
     Don Morris              15,044
     Lois Snedden            14,295
     Robert Wilder           14,145
     Paul Watson             13,701
     Julie Beezley           13,606
     Nancy Rauch             12,107
     Jan O'Oconnell          12,104
     David Orr               11,760


Election Summary:

     Total Ballots Mailed:   595,307
     Total Valid Returns      57,340
     Total Invalid Returns        15
	 
     Percent Valid Returns      9.63%

     Percent Total Returns      9.63%


Marvin Baker,
Chief Inspector of Election, for the Inspectors

SUSPS Analysis of Results - 1999 Democracy ballot question

Sierra Club members rejected the Board of Directors' efforts to severely restrict membership referendums for setting Club policy. By almost two to one, members opposed the bylaw change, which would have required a two-thirds vote to pass.

"This is a great victory. It keeps democracy alive in the Sierra Club," said Dick Schneider, a member of the Bay Chapter's Executive Committee and of SUSPS. Schneider, along with environmental luminaries David Brower and Martin Litton, signed the ballot argument against the bylaw change.

The controversy began in when the 1996 Board of Directors changed the Club's population policy to remove mention of immigration. In response, grassroots activists petitioned and placed on the 1998 Sierra Club ballot a referendum that called for reduced immigration and reduced fertility in order to stem population growth in the U.S.

The 1998 referendum lost, but its proponents attributed the defeat to an unfair structuring of the ballot that required members to choose between policy A and policy B, rather than vote yes or no on the referendum. In an attempt to avoid another vote on the controversial issue, the Board tried to change the bylaws to increase by 250% the number of signatures required to place a measure on the ballot. In voting over the last two months, Club members rejected the Board's proposal by a vote of two to one - 33,000 to 18,000.

This vote preserves grassroots democracy and makes it possible to return the Club to an environmentally responsible population policy. (Even so, voter turnout in this election at 9.6% was the lowest in Club history, with the exception of one invalid election).

In 1968, the Board made a similar attempt to raise the signature requirement to 3% of the votes cast instead of the current proposal's 5%. That change was overwhelmingly rejected by the membership. "It didn't make sense then and it doesn't make sense now," said Schneider. "There have been only five votes of the membership on policy issues in the last thirty years. The answer to controversies in the environmental movement is open debate and fair elections, not a reduction in democracy."

Also see our See the pro-democracy ballot argument and our democracy section for questionable actions of the Sierra Club Board in other elections.


 
 

April, 1998

SUSPS population-immigration ballot question

Date: Saturday, April 25, 1998 12:46 PM
Subject: Sierra Club Election Report


                       SIERRA CLUB
          1998 ELECTION FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
                   AND BALLOT QUESTIONS

                    FINAL VOTE SUMMARY


Ballot Question

       Ballot Question  "A"          31,134  (40%)
       Ballot Question  "B"          46,935  (60%)

Board of Directors:

    *1. David Brower                 31,778
    *2. Jennifer Ferenstein          26,339
    *3. Chuck McGrady                24,757
    *4. Michele Perrault             23,100
    *5. Veronica Eady                22,680


     6. Tony Ruckel                  22,126
     7. Ben Zuckerman                20,502
     8. Emily Miggins                20,308
     9. Susan Schock                 20,210
    10. Jeff DeBonis                 18,468
    11. Sara Patton                  15,125
    12. Phillenore Howard            14,373
    13. Debbie Heaton                12,627
    14. Jon W. Robinson              12,565
    15. Joyce Tarnow                 12,062
    16. John Mitchem                 12,014
    17. Judy Anderson                11,371
    18. Lawrence D. Rupp             11,307
    19. David Orr                    11,161
    20. Dell Erickson                11,002
    21. Ross McCluney                 9,973
    22. Richard Worthen               8,379

          Write ins                     124


*  Elected to the Board of Directors


Election Summary:

    Single Ballot Packages           433,530
    Joint Ballot Packages             65,873
    Total Packages                   499,403
 
    Total Ballots                    565,276
    Total Returns                     84,685
    Percentage Returns                   15%


Marvin Baker
Acting Chief Inspector of Election
for the Inspectors

SUSPS Analysis of Results - SUSPS 1998 population-immigration ballot question

Quite simply, the ballot question lost because the Sierra Club Board violated Club Bylaws in running an "A" versus "B" set of opposing ballot questions. See our detailed analysis. Also see our democracy section for questionable actions of the Sierra Club Board in other elections.


 

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