Exercise Your Right
Do you remember the first time you had the privilege to vote? I do. My first presidential vote was when we had a man in the White House who was a good old Southern boy who could farm peanuts and run that farm as a business. He had a good family. It was maybe a little dysfunctional, but whose isn’t? His brother had his own beer business called Billy Beer. What’s wrong with that?
I thought about this privilege of voting as an American citizen and about the men and women who serve our country to defend that right. I didn’t want to take it lightly. I sat with my family, discussed politics and thought I had really come into my own as an adult.
So, I voted in my first presidential election for the peanut farmer from Georgia. And then as I finished college and went out into the world to try to find a job, I started thinking that maybe I should put more thought into my vote.
Politicians make so many promises to the American people. They have campaign slogans like 1 of my favorites, “I like Ike.” I really do like Ike, his leadership was crucial in saving us from the axis of evil in World War II, and in his presidency started the Interstate Highway System that moved the United States to a superpower. Some are simply words like “Change” or “Hope.” I don’t know if I look for hope in a politician. I tend to look for hope in other areas, like my lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Your right to vote is an essential 1, and if you’re of age and a United States citizen I encourage you to put some thought into it. But did you know that in a cooperative, democratic control is also 1 of our basic principles? Whether you buy $1,000 of electricity a year or $1 million, 1 membership equals 1 vote.
1 constant in this process is our annual meeting, which takes place on the last Tuesday of October every year. The format has changed some over the years. For example, we now have mail-in ballots, so you don’t have to attend the meeting in person to cast your vote. Now, it’s up to you to complete your ballot and send it to the institution that maintains and tabulates those results.
This year, please fill out your ballot completely, including providing data like your email address and all phone numbers including cellular phone numbers. is information is important so we can communicate with you and keep you updated on the status of repairs during an outage and help you manage your bill during normal times.
Each year, 1 of the biggest things our members vote on is their trustees. A trustee’s main fiduciary responsibility is to represent the members to the cooperative management and direct the cooperative to better serve the entire membership. Our main goal always is to provide reliable electric service at a reasonable cost.
It can sound like 1 of those campaign slogans, but it truly is our main function. It’s what we were formed to do. Even when the co-op world is affected by political events, that mission never changes. Everything we do falls under the umbrella of representing you as a member, and we’re very cautious about making too many changes. We don’t want to step outside of that because when you get outside your umbrella you get wet.
So, when you receive your ballot, please take time to vote. We’re even offering the incentive of a $20 bill credit for anyone who does, but you must fill out your ballot completely, including your email address and cellular phone numbers.
I’d also like to encourage you to take part in our national elections. It is a hard-fought right for all United States citizens that should always be valued and never discounted. Study the candidates and vote wisely, as I learned to do when I first voted for the peanut farmer from Georgia and was so pleased to exercise that right. Until next month.