Powerful Living


Become a Co-op Voter V


oting is a vital step for member-owned electric cooperatives. It’s how we maintain an electric utility which is responsive to the consumers it serves. But voting also plays a crucial part in our


representative democracy. Federal, state and local elections offer an op- portunity to exercise a civic responsibility—to select the best leaders for our communities. Yet in places all over America, even those served by electric co-ops, citizens aren’t exercising that right. In the 2012 national elections, voter turnout dropped overall, but the decline in rural counties was 18 per- cent—twice that of the nation as a whole. When voters miss the chance to vote, they also lose the opportunity to communicate their concern to our leaders about the issues that matter to us, where we work, live, and raise families. Reliable electricity, access to rural broadband and the quality of our healthcare system are just a few issues we all care about. Still, they only become priorities if enough people show elected offi cials that they are paying attention. Registering to vote and voting 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. It’s a system designed to produce a government “of the people, by the people and for the people.” You’re encouraged to join co-op members across the nation in an effort to get every eligible person registered to vote and take the pledge to become a co-op voter. The “Co-ops Vote” campaign will help boost voter turnout in areas served by cooperatives across the country to ensure that our voices are heard loud and clear every day, and especially on Election Day. You’re encouraged to visit www.vote.coop and take the pledge to become a co-op voter to support your community and electric cooper- ative when casting your vote in 2016. The website will give you infor- mation on your elected offi cials and candidates, the voter registration process, election dates and locations, and background about eight key co-op issues we want our elected leaders to understand: rural broadband access, hiring and honoring veterans, low-income energy assistance, cybersecurity, water regulation, rural health care access, affordable and reliable energy, and renewable energy. Co-ops Vote is a non-partisan program developed by the National


Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not- for-profi t, consumer-owned electric cooperatives. With 42 million mem- bers across the nation, electric co-ops are a powerful voice on national issues that have a local impact.


EMPOWERING OUR LIVES 365 DAYS A YEAR


APRIL 11 #THANKALINEMAN APRIL 2016 5


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144