LOS ANGELES, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Screen Actors Guild President Melissa Gilbert has been elected to a second two-year term, the performers guild announced Wednesday.
She defeated SAG Treasurer Kent McCord in a hard-fought, but toned-down election.
Gilbert's running mate, James Cromwell, was elected to the position of secretary-treasurer, defeating board member Esai Morales, who ran on McCord's slate.
Gilbert received 15,670 votes, or 49.7 percent of the 31,500 national ballots tallied, while McCord received 13,242 votes (42.6 percent). Third-party candidate Gordon Drake got 2,418 votes (7.7 percent).
In the race for secretary-treasurer, Cromwell received 15,177 votes (48 percent) to Morales' 13,506 (42.9 percent). Candidate Barbara Cheeseborough received 2,817 votes (8.9 percent). A total of 97,234 ballots were sent out, which works out to a 32.4 percent voter return rate.
Gilbert complimented her opponents --McCord and Drake -- for running what was an uncharacteristically tame SAG campaign.
"One way or another, we have to work together," said Gilbert.
