Your Voice Matters: DEC’s Board Election

   Our Cooperative’s strength is found in our business model, which provides for democratic control of DEC. Our board of directors is elected by our members and all board members are served by our Cooperative. This page contains DEC’s bylaws concerning the election of board directors. Should you have any questions about running for our board, please email Jeremy Tucker, Manager of Strategic Communications and Engagement, at [email protected].  
  Article III
  Section 3: Nomination and Election of Directors 
  (a) Any fifteen (15) or more members, acting together, may nominate a qualified candidate from any district of the Cooperative from which there is to be elected a member of the Board of Directors at the next meeting of the members held for that purpose. Such petition shall be in writing, signed by the members presenting such petition, and filed at the principal office of the Cooperative not less than sixty (60) days prior to the meeting at which such election is to be held. The Secretary shall promptly cause such petition to be posted at the principal office of the Cooperative and shall cause to be mailed with the notice of the meeting a statement of the number of directors to be elected and the names and addresses of the candidates, arranged by districts. Only candidates who have been nominated by petition in accordance with this section shall be eligible for election. The members may, at any meeting at which a director or directors shall be removed as hereinbefore provided, elect a successor or successors thereto without compliance with the foregoing provisions with respect to nominations, except that the new directors must be bona fide domiciliaries in the same district as the directors in respect of whom the vacancy occurs. Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, failure to comply with any of the provisions of this section, shall not affect, in any manner whatsoever, the validity of any election of directors. 
  (b) Election of directors (and amendments to the By-Laws) shall be by printed or electronic ballot or voting machines as determined by the Board of Directors; provided that if there are no contested directors’ seats and no proposed By-Law amendments, election of directors may be conducted by voice vote or a show of hands. The ballots/voting machines shall list the candidates arranged by districts. Each member of the Cooperative authorized to vote shall be entitled to vote for one candidate from each district, for which a director is to be elected. The candidate from each district receiving the highest number of votes shall be considered elected as director.
  (c) In the event that the votes counted at any meeting of the members for the election of a Director or amendment of the By-Laws results in a tie vote, such tie vote shall be decided by secret ballot of those sitting directors physically present at the meeting; except that no incumbent director shall be permitted to cast a vote regarding their own re-election.
  Other Important Information: 
  Our business meeting will be streamed online on August 13 beginning at 7:00 p.m. Later this summer, we’ll post instructions for members on how to view the meeting on our webpage. In July, we’ll share with members the full slate of candidates running for the board, voting instructions and any proposed bylaws. If there is a contested board seat, members will be able to vote electronically, through mail-in paper ballot and in person at our annual meeting.