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Elections 101

The Mendocino Environmental Center is a non-profit corporation chartered under the laws of the state of California. As such, it is governed by a board of directors which is solely responsible for the activities of the organization.As a membership organization, the Center is required to hold elections for directors, as opposed to the board appointing new directors whenever there is a vacancy. According to the Center’s bylaws, which were adopted at the time of incorporation, elections will be held annually to fill approximately half of the seats, thus creating staggered terms of two years each. The bylaws allow 5-15 board members, the number to be determined by the board. The most recent board decision was to have seven directors. Any change in the bylaws requires the approval of the general membership.

There was no election last year. Since finding solutions is more important than finding fault, there will be no effort here to explain how or why that happened. The result in any event is that this election must be for all seven directors. The top four vote-getters will be given two-year terms. Vote-getters 5-7 will be given one-year terms. Next year’s election will then be for three two-year terms, thus re-establishing staggered terms. This procedure was laid out in the bylaws for use in the initial elections and for whenever the board is expanded, and was adopted for use at this time.

Since the election of directors provides the legitimacy for governance of a membership organization, the current truncated board created an elections committee open to any member of the Center, including potential candidates. The purpose of the committee, and this announcement, is to ensure inclusiveness and transparency in the upcoming election. Any questions, comments, or complaints concerning the election can be brought to the committee, either at a meeting or via the internet connections detailed elsewhere in this announcement.

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