Every year, northern Lower Michigan’s Rural Electric Cooperatives (Cherryland Electric, Cloverland Electric, Great Lakes Energy, and Presque Isle Electric & Gas), have board of director elections for two or three board positions. These races have low member turnout, often less than 10%, despite the fact that the boards deal with some of the biggest issues on Michiganders’ minds today: electricity rates, energy sources (clean or fossil fuel), data center energy supply, severe weather resilience, and more.
Just 1 in 10 electric co-op members vote, so your vote carries a lot of weight. Please use that vote for a modern, affordable, and reliable energy future.
Point being, if you are a co-op member, you can shape the energy future of your co-op by voting or running for a board seat. And because vote totals are low, your vote can truly tip an election.
That’s why we wanted to make sure that you know these races are happening and understand how to vote!
Cherryland Electric
If you are a Cherryland member, learn about candidates here, and learn details about how to vote here. For now, know that Cherryland Electric offers three ways to vote.
- You can vote online from May 1 until June 10.
- You can mail a ballot, which will arrive in the May issue of County Lines magazine and must arrive at co-op headquarters by June 12.
- You can vote in person at the annual meeting on June 12th.
Cloverland Electric
- Ballots were mailed with the Cloverland Connections newsletter on April 27. You have until May 29 to mail the paper ballot OR follow the instructions with the ballot for an option to vote online. If you are a Cloverland Electric member, learn more about the candidates here as well as how to vote.
Nicholas Jansen is Groundwork’s Rural Clean Energy Specialist. nicholas.jansen@groundworkcenter.org
