‹ Back to Light Flashes

As member-owned electric cooperatives, voting is already in our DNA. It’s how we maintain an electric utility which is responsive to the members it serves. Voting also plays a crucial part in our representative democracy. Federal, state and local elections offer an opportunity to exercise our civic responsibility – to select the best leaders for our communities.

While not every year is a big election year on the federal level, there are always opportunities to vote in
state and local elections – opportunities to ensure that elected officials in our communities understand the issues we face. 

When we miss the chance to vote, we lose the opportunity to communicate our concerns to our leaders about the issues that matter to us, where we work, live, and raise our families. Affordable and reliable electricity, economic and community development, and FEMA disaster reimbursements are just a few of the
issues we all care about. These issues only become priorities if we continue to express our concerns to elected officials. Registering to vote and showing up to the polls on Election Day 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.”People like you and me. 

WFEC has joined America’s electric cooperatives in continuing the Co-ops Vote campaign to help get out the vote and insert issues important to co-ops and our communities into the public discussion. This effort  will ensure that our voices are heard loud and clear every day, and especially on the next Election Day.  

While we look ahead to the 2020 Presidential election, 2019 is a great time to continue the dialogue
with state and local candidates. It’s a great time to start asking ALL candidates, “what will you do to ensure we continue to have affordable, reliable electricity in our community?” It’s a great time to confirm your voter registration is valid and encourage new voters to get registered. 

For information on how to register and vote in our state, visit the Co-ops Vote website: www.vote.coop. You can also find information about elected officials and read more about issues important to our community.

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-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives. You will join with 42 million consumer-members across the nation, to ensure that electric co-ops are a powerful voice on national issues that have a local impact. 

I encourage you to register to vote today. Here are the local Supervisor of Elections offices info:
Calhoun County:
www.votecalhoun.com
(850) 674-8568

Holmes County:
www.holmeselections.com
(850) 547-1107

Jackson County:
www.jacksoncountysoe.org
(850) 482-9652

Washington County:
www.wcsoe.org
(850) 638-6230

If you have questions, please visit www.vote.coop I hope to see you at the polls!