The Sierra Club is a democratic, grassroots, volunteer-driven, environmental advocacy organization. The San Francisco Bay Chapter, with more than 33,000 members, is a powerful voice for the environment in our region. The Chapter is made up of eight regional groups: Delta, Marin, Mount Diablo, Northern Alameda County, Southern Alameda County, San Francisco, Tri-Valley, and West Contra Costa County.
The Sierra Club is a unique national organization where members make key decisions. Our continued success depends on the strength of our membership.
Learn more about our Chapter Governance structure.
Voting Instructions
All members of the Sierra Club who live in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, or Marin Counties, and who were registered as a member of record in the Club database as of October 31st, can — and are encouraged to — vote. Each Bay Chapter member can vote in the Chapter-wide Executive Committee election and in the election for the Executive Committee of their local group (see below for finding your group affiliation).
All ballots must be received by Friday, December 12th at 11:59pm.
Questions? Contact the Chapter office at (510) 848-0800 or email the Elections Committee at elections@sfbaysc.org.
Vote online or by mail:
You may choose to vote online or by paper ballot. If we receive both electronic and paper ballots for the same membership number, only the electronic ballot will be counted.
The Chapter will email a link to the online ballot to all members whose email addresses we have on file. If you do not receive this email but wish to vote electronically, your online ballot can be accessed here.
Your paper ballot can also be found on page 23 of the Winter 2025-26 Yodeler, should you choose to vote by mail. Once you have made your selections, cut out the page, place the ballot in a stamped envelope, and mail it to: Ballot Submission, Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter, P.O. Box 2663, Berkeley, CA 94702. Paper ballots sent by fax or email will not be counted. The mailing label printed on the reverse of your ballot, which includes your unique membership number, will indicate it’s valid.
What group do I belong to?
To determine which group you belong to, look at the mailing label on this Yodeler. If you are a Bay Chapter member, a three-digit number beginning with “10” should appear in the line above your name, following your eight-digit membership number. This number designates your local group: 100 = No group membership; 102 = Marin; 103 = Mount Diablo; 104 = San Francisco; 105 = Delta; 106 = West Contra Costa County; 107 = Southern Alameda County; 108 = Northern Alameda County; 109 = Tri-Valley.
What if I have a joint membership?
Just after your group number, your mailing label also indicates whether your household has a single (SNGL) membership or a joint (JNT) membership. Each section of the ballot has two columns for votes. If you have a single membership, mark only in the first column. For joint memberships, each member makes their selections in one column. Both members in a joint membership must vote in the same medium (either paper or electronic ballot).
What can “spoil” my ballot?
Your ballot will be considered spoiled and will not be counted if:
- you vote in the incorrect group election (spoils group vote);
- you vote for more candidates than the maximum indicated;
- your ballot is illegible (if voting by mail);
- or you already cast your ballot online and submit a ballot by mail (only online ballot will be counted in this case).
Chapter Elections Guidelines
Review our Election Rules and Guidelines.
2025 Chapter Elections Calendar
Monday, 3/10: Executive Committee appoints Nominating Committee
Monday, 5/12: Executive Committee approves Elections Calendar
Monday, 7/14: Groups to coordinate with Chapter Nominating Committee for schedule and process. Groups are requested to inform Chapter Nominating Committee of Group Nominating Commitee ASAP.
Monday, 7/21: Nomination period opens. Candidate packets available on Chapter election website
Week of 7/21: Election materials (including link to application packet and calendar) are emailed to members
Friday, 8/29: Nominations period closes (deadline for return of applicant-candidates' questionnaires)
Sunday, 8/31: Candidates must be registered as Sierra Club members by this date.
Friday, 9/12: All applicants are contacted to inform them whether they have been nominated by committee. Candidates not nominated will be informed that they can pursue the petition route.
- Nominating Committee reports nominees to Executive Committee
- Chapter and Group NomComs share nominations lists
Friday, 9/19: Candidate Deadline for submission of candidate statement and photo to Nomination Committee; deadline for applicants seeking petition nomination by petition to submit petition signatures, statement, and photo.
Tuesday, 9/23: All Petition Candidates are notified whether their petition has been accepted
Thursday, 9/25: Deadline for Nominating Committee to submit all candidate materials to Chapter Communications Associate
Friday, 10/31: Date by when you need to be a member in Club database to vote in election (List is pulled for vote count by Staff)
Week of 11/10: Yodeler with ballot scheduled to be mailed to members.
Electronic ballot goes live; links posted to website.
Link and appeal to vote will be emailed to all members for whom we have an address and who haven’t opted out of electronic communications. (Note: email send date may be +/- a few days due to email scheduling)
Friday, 12/12 at 11:59 pm: Election closes; all ballots must be received.
Weekend of 12/13-14: Ballots counted. Contact the Elections Committee if you want to help out or observe: elections@sfbaysc.org. All members are welcome to join in or observe.
Tuesday, 12/16: Chapter Executive Committee and Candidates are contacted with ballot results.
Monday, 1/12 (2026): The Election Committee hears any complaints from candidates or others, and then formally reports election results to the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee hears any appeals of complaints regarding election results; when all appeals have been completed (including appeals of ExCom decisions), it directs destruction of nomination petitions and ballots