Low-turnout elections are bad for the nation, and they're bad for the Sierra Club too. Just over 7 percent of eligible members voted in the Club's annual Board of Directors election in 2014; if fewer than 5 percent participate in this year's election, being held in March and April, the Club will be forced, at great expense, to redo it. 

The organization's elected directors, who serve three-year terms, set the Club's national budget, priorities, and policies, the guidelines that will help carry the organization--and, we hope, the country and the planet--through what's likely to be a tough few years.

Eligible voters should receive their ballots in early March; completed ballots must be received by April 29. (Members who registered on or before February 2, 2015, to receive their ballots electronically need to meet the same deadline.) To read about the candidates, go to sierraclub.org/board/elections. Questions? Contact Membership Services at (415) 977-5653 or membership.services@sierraclub.org.