North Coast Co-op is a member-owned cooperative built on the principle of democratic member control. Elections should be open, transparent, and decided by the membership.

The Co-op's bylaws establish clear qualifications for serving on the Board of Directors. However, recent election policies allow candidates to be screened, interviewed, and approved by the Elections Committee based on unpublished criteria before appearing on the ballot.

Many members believe that any member-owner who meets the basic qualifications, that member should have the right to run for the Board and allow voters to decide the outcome of the election.

We are concerned that the current process permits otherwise qualified candidates to be excluded from the ballot based on criteria that are not contained in the bylaws and are not governed by clear, objective, publicly available standards.

Co-op elections should maximize member choice, participation, and trust in the democratic process.

We Call on the Board to:

• Allow any member-owner who meets the basic qualifications to appear on the ballot.
• End subjective candidate pre-screening.
• Publish all candidate evaluation criteria and election procedures.
• Provide written explanation when a candidate is denied placement on the ballot.
• Create a transparent appeals process.
• Reaffirm the cooperative principle of democratic member control.

Why This Matters

Healthy organizations trust their members to make decisions.

North Coast Co-op members should be able to hear from all qualified candidates, compare their ideas, and decide for themselves who should serve on the Board of Directors.

Protect democratic elections. Protect member choice. Let the members decide.