Elections

Every year, the Board of Directors appoints an Election Task Force to oversee the election and perform other functions. The 2013 calendar has been adopted, and the Task Force is serving. Ballots, ballot envelopes and Voter's Pamphlets were delivered to many members on April 24, 2013.

Jump to Task Force contact information.

Link to page on DavisWiki for comments & questions about this election.

Results from past elections, and a comparison from 1999 to 2012.

Election Calendar, 2013

Running for the Board

You must be a Co-op shareholder in good standing to serve on the Board. If you're a member of a shareholder's household now, but don't own shares, you can run. If elected, you must purchase your own shares in order to serve.

For more information on eligibility, please read the 2013 Candidate's Packet, "You can become a Candidate..." (PDF file in the right hand sidebar) and the 2013 Declaration of Candidacy (also at right). If you have questions, please contact the Election Committee (below).

Candidates

Voters are selecting candidates to fill three seats on the Board with three-year term. You can vote for up to three candidates. The top three vote-getters in the election will be seated to fill three-year terms as Directors, and the fourth and fifth-placed candidates will be seated as first and second Alternate Directors. Alternates serve for one year and vote at Board meetings when a Director is absent. Alternates are appointed to fill out a term if a Director resigns or is incapable of serving.

Any members who declare candidacy (using the form approved by the Board and available in the store or on-line) and receive votes can be elected as write-in candidates, either as Directors or Alternates. Candidates are invited to speak at our Annual Meeting; tickets are free to members and available through this link.

Voters will not be choosing whether or not to amend our Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation; no initiative petition that qualified under our Bylaws was submitted, nor did the Board vote to place amendments on the ballot.

Voting Instructions (ballots now available through May 24)

• You can vote if you are the shareholder in your household. If you’re not the shareholder or co-owner, you cannot vote as a proxy on someone’s behalf; proxy votes are not allowed in California Cooperative Corporation elections.

• You can vote if you’re a shareholder in good standing on Friday, May 24, 2013, the last day of voting. You must invest at least $20 in shares in 2013, or otherwise satisfy the investment requirement in our Bylaws. You also must not have any outstanding bad checks to the Co-op or otherwise be out of compliance with Membership Responsibilities and Restrictions listed in the Bylaws (Article IV, Section 3; please see davisfood.coop/about/membership/bylaws). Ask a cashier to scan your Co-op Card before the end of voting – if no message indicates your investment is due or other issues, you can assume you are in good standing.

• Ballots are mailed to all shareholders in good standing as of March 31 (per Article IX, Section 6 (A)(1) of our Bylaws), with the Voter’s Pamphlet. Do not assume if you received Election Materials in the mail that you are now in good standing. Copies of the Bylaws, ballots, and Voter’s Pamphlet are also available in the store throughout the election.

• To be valid, ballots must be returned to the store by 10 PM, Friday May 24, or if mailed must be postmarked May 24 or earlier. To be valid, a ballot must also be in a sealed envelope, and signed on the outside by the shareholder (or co-owner). Election volunteers and/or Co-op staff check both the signature and the good standing of each shareholder who votes. Please legibly print your name and member number on the envelope, to assist us when verifying your signature in our files. Ballots of shareholders not in good standing are not opened or counted; we make an effort to contact the shareholder so they can put their membership in good standing before the end of the election. If you want your vote to count, have a cashier scan your Co-op Card, or call 530-758-2667 – 111 to leave a message for Membership Director Doug Walter, or write to him with questions.

• The Ballot Box is located inside the store, across from the Deli counter and near (but a good ten yards inside) the entrance door. Place your sealed & signed ballot envelope through the slot in the top of the locked box. If you mail in your ballot in your own envelope, you need to sign the envelope, clearly label it “ballot enclosed” and send it to Davis Food Co-op Election, 620 G Street, Davis CA 95616.

• Six shareholders have declared candidacy for the Board (as of April 17th; that's more than declared by the election materials deadline). You may vote for up to three candidates, as there are three seats open. You cannot vote more than once for the same person. You may vote for fewer than three candidates if you choose.

• We cannot accept two ballots from one shareholder. However, you can change your vote using the ballots and envelopes available in the store. Write the date on the front of your envelope and that the ballot enclosed supersedes your previous vote. Your new envelope must be signed and sealed, and your name should be legibly printed. We cannot combine votes from two ballots.

Ballot counting and results

• Ballots will be counted in the Conference Room of the store on Tuesday, May 28, 2013; we expect to start soon after 1:00 PM and finish in four to five hours. Counting might be necessary on the next day (but is unlikely, based on past experience). The count is open to any member in good standing who is not a candidate, or a household member of a candidate, for election to the Board of Directors on the ballot being counted. There’s plenty of signature checking and other work before the count can begin — please contact Doug at the store to help.
• Results will be posted on the election display and on these election pages at davisfood.coop on or before Wednesday, May 29. Preliminary results should be available on Tuesday, May 28.

Members of the 2013 Election Committee:

Director and Chair Janie Booth
Email Janie Booth

Director Ben Pearl
Email Ben Pearl

Director Zoë Plakias
Email Zoë Plakias

Jonathan Groveman (a shareholder)
Email Jonathan Groveman

Staff support provided by Doug Walter (Membership Director)
Email Doug Walter

You can download and read the 2013 Voter's Pamphlet in the sidebar to the right.