September 24, 2019

As a member-owned electric cooperative, voting is in our DNA. It's how we maintain an electric utility that’s responsive to the members we serve. Voting also plays a crucial part in our democracy as federal, state and local elections approach, and offer us with an opportunity to exercise our civic responsibility – to select the best representatives for our communities.

Even when there aren’t major voting decisions to be made at the federal level, there are always opportunities to vote in state and local elections to help ensure the elected officials in our communities understand the issues we face. When we miss the chance to vote, we also lose the opportunity to communicate our concerns to our leaders about the issues that matter to us where we work, live, and raise families.

Reliable electricity and rural infrastructure are just a few of the issues we all care about - issues that only remain as priorities if we continue to express our concerns to our elected officials. Registering to vote and showing up to the polls on Election Day are the most effective ways to send this message. 

When we go to the polls with the cooperative principle of concern for community in mind, we instantly improve our political system.

Tri-State has once again joined America’s electric cooperatives in continuing the Co-ops Vote campaign to help get out the vote and insert issues important to co-ops and our communities into the public discussion. This effort will ensure that our voices are heard loud and clear every day, and especially on Election Day.

While we look ahead to the 2020 Presidential election, 2019 is a great time to continue the dialogue with state and local candidates. It’s a great time to begin asking all candidates, “What will you do to ensure we continue to have affordable and reliable electricity in our community?” It’s a great time to confirm your voter registration is valid and encourage any new voters to get registered. It’s a great time to go vote!

For information on registering to vote, visit the Co-ops Vote website, where you can also find information about elected officials and read more about issues important to our community. Join the 42 million consumer-members across the nation in ensuring that electric co-ops are a powerful voice on national issues that have a local impact.