by Abby Berry
America’s electric cooperatives, including Tri-County Electric Cooperative (TCEC), understand the value of building relationships with elected officials at all levels of government. Many important policy issues directly impact electric utilities and ultimately, you, the members we proudly serve. Strengthening our relationships with elected leaders positions us to advocate for our local community.
While TCEC is a locally-owned cooperative, we’re part of a larger network of electric co-ops. Through our non-partisan grassroots program known as “Co-ops Vote,” we’re working to enhance the political strength of electric co-ops and boost voter turnout. There’s power in numbers, and when we all show up at the polls, we can voice the issues that matter most to our community.
National Voter Registration Day is September 20, and midterm elections are right around the corner. If you’re looking to get involved or simply make sure you’re ready to vote, here are five easy ways to exercise your civic duty.
- Don’t assume your voter registration status is up to date. Visit the Co-Ops Vote website, then click “Election Resources” to verify your status.
- Get informed. In addition to ensuring your registration is up to date, learning about local policy issues and candidates is one of the best ways you can prepare to vote.
- Get active on social media. Follow @coopsvote on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and let others know you’re a #coopvoter and #VoteReady; encourage your friends and family to do the same.
- Help others prepare to vote. Work a National Voter Registration Day event, volunteer to be a poll worker during midterm elections, or offer to drive others to their polling places.
- Vote! It’s the easiest––and most important––way you can exercise your civic duty.
Voting is a form of personal empowerment that gives you the opportunity to voice your opinion on the issues that matter most to you. Make a plan to vote and help others in our community get #VoteReady.
We encourage everyone, regardless of political beliefs, to vote, stand up for our local community, and make a collective impact.
Abby Berry writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56% of the nation’s landscape.