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April, 2005SIERRA 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
SUSPS analysis of resultsThe 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, 2003SUSPS 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%
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April, 2002SUSPS 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
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April, 2001SUSPS 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.
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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
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April, 1999Board 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 questionSierra 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, 1998SUSPS 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 questionQuite 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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