Director Elections
One of the driving principles of cooperative membership is that members are in control of the organization through the election of a Board of Directors. The business and affairs of your Cooperative is managed by a Board consisting of nine members, each residing within a defined Director District. Each year, three Districts are up for election. To be eligible for a Director seat you must meet the qualifications and follow the nomination and election processes to have your name included on that year's ballot.
Nominations for Director candidates may be made by petition containing the signatures of 10 or more members submitted not less than 45 days prior to the Annual Meeting of Members.
Candidates are voted on by majority vote of the membership at the Annual Meeting.
The date of the Annual Meeting changes each year, and as such, so does the deadline date a petition must be submitted. We announce the Districts that will be up for election, petition availability, and the petition due dates well ahead of the Annual Meeting date utilizing channels that include but are not limited to - bill messages, member newsletter articles, our website, and our Facebook page. Once petitions are made available interested members may visit our office to learn more and obtain a petition; qualified members must return the petition by the due date to become a Director Candidate. Information about candidates is provided to members in Annual Meeting announcements.
Director Qualifications
Sections from Bylaws Article IV - Board of Directors - Visit our Bylaws page to view the full document
Section 4.02 Qualifications. No person shall be eligible to become or remain a director of the Cooperative who is defined as a “close relative” in Section 4.11 of these Bylaws, of an incumbent director or of an employee of the Cooperative, or is not a member in good standing of the Cooperative. A qualified candidate must receive service from the Cooperative which includes a facility charge and have their primary residential abode within the district they represent. No person shall be eligible to become or remain a director of, or to hold any other position of trust in, the Cooperative who is not at least eighteen (18) years of age or is in any way employed by or financially interested in a competing enterprise, and no person shall take or hold office as a Director who is the incumbent of an elective public office in connection with which a salary is paid other than school offices and during three (3) years immediately before becoming a Director, not have been an employee of the Cooperative or any Cooperative subsidiary. Upon establishment of the fact that a nominee for director lacks eligibility under this Section or as may be provided elsewhere in these Bylaws, it shall be the duty of the chairman presiding at the meeting at which such nominee would otherwise be voted upon to disqualify such nominee. Upon the establishment of the fact that any person being considered for, or already holding, a directorship or other position of trust in the Cooperative lacks eligibility under this Section, it shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to withhold such position from such person, or to cause him to be removed therefrom, as the case may be. Nothing contained in this Section shall, or shall be construed to, affect in any manner whatsoever the validity of any action taken at any meeting of the Board of Directors, unless such action is taken with respect to a matter which is affected by the provisions of this Section and in which one or more of the directors have an interest adverse to that of the Cooperative.
Section 4.03 Election. At each annual meeting of the members, directors shall be elected by secret written ballot by the members and, except as provided in Section 4.02 of these Bylaws, from among those members who are natural persons: PROVIDED, that when the number of nominees does not exceed the number of directors to be elected from a particular Directorate District, and if there is no objection, secret written balloting may be dispensed with in respect of that particular election and voting may be conducted in any other proper manner. Directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast. Drawing by lot shall resolve, where necessary, any tie votes.
Section 4.06 Nominations. Any ten (10) or more Members may nominate individuals to run for election for any Director position for which Members are scheduled to vote at any Member Meeting. Members may make petition nominations by delivering to the Secretary of the Cooperative Board of Directors not less than forty-five (45) days prior to the meeting, a Member Petition Nomination containing the following: Name of the Member Petition Nominee; The position for which the Member Petition Nominee will run; The printed names, addresses and original signatures of at least ten (10) Members; The members may, at any meeting at which a director or directors shall be removed, as hereinbefore provided, elect a successor or successors thereto without compliance with the foregoing provisions with respect to nominations. Notwithstanding anything in this section contained, failure to comply with any of the provisions of this section shall not effect in any manner whatsoever the validity of any election of Directors.
Section 4.08 Vacancies. Vacancies occurring in the Board of Directors between annual meetings shall be filled by the remaining members of the Board of Directors, and directors thus selected shall serve until the next annual meeting of the members, when the balance of any unexpired term shall be filled by election of the membership; or until their successors shall have been elected and shall have qualified.
Section 4.11 “Close Relative” Defined. As used in these Bylaws, the term close relative means a person who, through blood, law or marriage, is a spouse, child, step-child, father, step-father, mother, step-mother, brother, step-brother, half-brother, sister, step-sister, half-sister, grandparent, grandchild, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law.