ONE member, ONE vote
Who can vote at the annual meeting?
With June 3 quickly approaching, we often receive questions as to who can and cannot vote for director positions and ballot issues during this meeting. To clarify who can and cannot vote: Only members of the cooperative are eligible to vote, and they can cast only one vote for their membership, regardless of the number of accounts that member has with the cooperative.
For example, if the membership is in the husband’s name only, only the husband is eligible to vote; he cannot transfer that ability to vote to his spouse or another person. If the membership is a joint membership, in the name of both the husband and wife, the presence of either or both at the meeting shall be regarded as the presence of one member at the annual meeting. A vote of either joint member separately, or both jointly, shall constitute one vote. Both joint members are not eligible to vote individually.
If the membership is in the name of a sole proprietorship or a partnership, only the owner(s) of that business may vote. A sole proprietor or partner cannot authorize a non-owner of the business to vote.
In the absence of written notice that some person has been designated to represent a member who is other than a natural person—for instance, a township, school or an incorporated business— such member may be represented by any of its principal officers. If a member who is other than a natural person is not represented by any of its principal officers, such member may designate a natural person to represent it by giving the cooperative written notice at or before the member meeting, which shows that the named representative has been authorized by the managing board of such member to represent it at the meeting of the cooperative. An authorization form is printed below for this purpose. The form can also be accessed online by clicking on “Forms” (above) and then “Annual Meeting Appointment of Voting Representative.”
An individual may represent only one non-natural member, and may also vote as an individual if he or she is a member.
Voting by proxy will not be allowed because the presence of as many members as possible is desired at all meetings of the membership. Proxy voting has the tendency to discourage actual attendance at membership meetings.
A complete version of the membership voting rules can be found in Article III, Section 5 of the Capital Electric Cooperative bylaws. If you have any questions, give the office staff at Capital Electric a call at (701) 223-1513.We look forward to seeing you at the annual meeting on June 3!