2026 Election Results are In!
Though the election provided clear results for the first three available board seats, there was a tie for the 4th open position (a one-year term). Even after all the votes were reviewed, the tie remained. Based on what the Board could determine, this has not happened in co-op history! Coincidentally, at this same time, an additional 5th board seat became available, with one of our current board members announcing that they are moving out of the country shortly. A vacancy not part of an election can be filled by a vote of the Board for a one-year term (Bylaw 4.4).
After much deliberation and consultation with our bylaws, the Board considered this tie vote for the 4th slot to be an indication that the membership believes both candidates are equally qualified to serve. Both positions are one-year terms and are in all relevant ways equivalent. The bylaws (4.3) instruct the Board to resolve a tie in terms, which led the Board to conclude that we were responsible for resolving this tie as well. With the 4th and 5th positions needing to be filled, the Board used a coin flip as a random means to select and appoint the candidates to the respective 4th and 5th place positions.
We hope this gives you some insight into the process used to resolve this unique situation! This is part of what it means to be a democratically-governed cooperative. Thank you all for your participation in this year's election, which truly shows that each and every vote counts!
Meet Your Newly Elected Board Members!
Thank you to the talented candidates & owner-members who participated in the election!
The 11 organizations voted in as the 2027 Positive Change recipients are...
January – Bloomington Community Orchard
February – Hotels For Hope Inc (DBA) Hotels For Homeless
March – Monroe County Humane Association
April – Pantry 279, Inc
May – Farm to Family Fund, Inc.
June – WildCare, Inc
July – Friends of Lake Monroe
August – WonderLab Museum of Science, Health & Technology
September – Hoosier Hills Food Bank
*October – Bloomingfoods' choice
November – Friends of the Library
December – WFHB, Bloomington Community Radio, Inc.
To each organization that applied — THANK YOU for all you do to help those in need and to make our community a better place!
If your organization was not chosen for the 2027 program, we encourage you to apply again on our website starting January 2027 to become a 2028 candidate.
