Cooperative Living August 2016 - 25

YourBusiness
This year elect to become a co-op voter
Federal, state and local elections offer an opportunity to exercise a civic responsibility -
to select the best leaders for our communities.
W
hen was the last time you
voted? As member-owned
electric cooperatives, voting is
in our DNA. It's how we maintain electric
utilities that are responsive to the
consumers they serve.
But voting also plays a crucial part
in our representative democracy.
Federal, state and local elections offer
an opportunity to exercise a civic
responsibility - to select the best
leaders for our communities.
Yet in places all over America, even
those served by electric cooperatives,
citizens aren't exercising that right.
In the 2012 national elections, voter
turnout dropped overall, but the decline
in rural counties was 18 percent - twice
that of the nation as a whole.
And 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 health
care system are just a few issues
we all care about. Still, they only
become priorities if enough people show
elected officials that they are paying
attention. Registering to vote and then
exercising that right 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. "
The National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association (NRECA) has undertaken a
new initiative to get every eligible person
registered to vote, and to take the pledge to
BECOME A CO-OP VOTER.
Virginia's electric cooperatives are
supporting this campaign to help get
out the vote and insert issues important to
www.co-opliving.com
until Oct. 17 to register for the Nov. 8
elections (Virginia law specifies voters
must be registered 22 days before a
general election). For voting-related
forms, visit elections.virginia.gov or swing
by your county registrar's office or
nearest Virginia Department of Motor
Vehicles office.
co-ops into the public discussion.
Called " Co-ops Vote, " this effort 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.
Here's what you can do to help. First,
if you're not already, become a registered
voter. Virginia residents eligible to vote
for the first time, or those re-registered in
the locality where they now reside, have
... this effort 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.
Anyone who will be out of state or
overseas on Election Day can vote by
absentee ballot, but those needing to do
this should act soon. Absentee ballots are
generally available 45 days before the
general election. Those submitting
absentee ballots by mail must ensure
they are received by 5 p.m. on the
Tuesday before the election (Nov. 1 for
this year's general elections); those voting
in person by absentee ballot have until
the Saturday before the election (Nov. 5)
to cast their votes.
Once registered, all Virginia voters are
encouraged to visit the Co-ops Vote
website, www.vote.coop, and take the
pledge to BECOME A CO-OP VOTER to
support your community and electric
cooperative when casting your vote in
2016. This site will give you information
on your elected officials 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.
Thanks for taking time to join the
Co-ops Vote effort and support the
democratic principles that make both our
co-ops and our nation strong! 
Co-ops Vote is a non-partisan program developed by NRECA, the national service organization that
represents the nation's more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives.
With 42 million members across the nation, electric co-ops are a powerful voice on national issues
that have a local impact.
August 2016 | Cooperative Living | 23

http://elections.virginia.gov http://www.vote.coop http://www.co-opliving.com

Cooperative Living August 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living August 2016