View State-Wide Endorsements and Legislative Scorecard
View Local endorsements
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How the Sierra Club's Endorsement Process Works
The Sierra Club leverages the power of our networks of volunteers and members to help elect environmental candidates. The Sierra Club sees the importance of having environmental champions at all levels of elected office. We usually endorse U.S. Congessional, Missouri State and municipal/local candidates. To ensure the Sierra Club only endorses the best environmental candidates, our volunteers and staff have developed a multistep process and criteria for selecting which candidates receive our support.
Each of our Congressional endorsements are voted on by two committees made up mostly of volunteers and a couple of staff. Driven by our grassroots members, the endorsement process begins at the chapter level. Volunteers examine each candidate’s record and distribute questionnaires to all candidates to fill out. The questionnaire responses are then evaluated, and interviews with candidates maybe conducted. State and local volunteers then hold a first vote on endorsement.
If a candidate is running for an open seat, candidates are evaluated via a questionnaire. Incumbents, sometimes are evaluated based on their previous track record, which may be sufficient for an endorsement decision. Depending on the office to be endorsed, questionnaires are evaluated by the different levels of committees.
Candidates interested in seeking endorsement can visit our contact page.
Municipal/local endorsements
The Group Political Committee (local Sierra Club entity) evaluates candidates and recommends endorsements to the ExCom of the local Sierra Club group. Recommendations are then brought to a vote within the ExCom. It is a requirement that endorsements have to pass a vote of two Sierra Club entities (local Political Committee and ExCom).
State-wide endorsements
The Chapter Political Committee (state-wide Sierra Club entity) evaluates candidates and recommends endorsements to the Chapter ExCom (state-wide) and the Group Sierra Club (local). Recommendations are then brought to a vote within the Group and Chapter ExComs. It is a requirement that endorsements have to pass a vote of three Sierra Club entities (Chapter Political Committee and Group and Chapter ExComs).
U.S. Congressional Candidate endorsements
Congressional candidates are voted on by Chapter Political Committee, Chapter and local Excom in addition to the Sierra Club National Political Team, made up of volunteers and staff from around the country, who also votes to confirm the endorsement.
Throughout our process, volunteers and staff evaluate the environmental and public health records of candidates, their electability and their propensity to be a true champion on our issues.
Once candidates are elected, the Group Legislative Committee works with the THB Legislative Committee to keep track of pending legislation and to organize efforts to make sure the elected officials hear the Club's perspective on the issues."
The Sierra Club is a non-partisan organization that endorses candidates based on their environmental positions.
We need active people to serve on the Group Legislative and Political committees. To learn more and volunteer, visit the Get Involved page.