Ozark Border opens election voting in multiple locations

Ozark Border Electric Cooperative members for the first time will be able to vote early, and in outlying offices, on district board members, as well as bylaw changes.

Cooperative general manager David Schremp said allowing outlying voting provides “easier access for the membership. We serve in 11 counties, so we’re pretty widespread. By doing it in our sub offices, that makes it more convenient for those outlying members.”

The annual membership meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11, in Poplar Bluff. Voting in outlying offices started Monday.

Only one of the four districts’ board of directors races is being contested. Jeff Shawan is running against Charles Bunting for the District 3 seat on the board. Bunting and Shawan are both of Poplar Bluff. Shawan is running by petition, while Bunting and the other candidates were selected by the board’s nominating committee.

The others on the ballot are: District 1, Darrell Atchison of Williamsville; District 2, Jim Hover of Harviell; and District 4, Curtis Clark of Puxico.

Cooperative members will vote on reports for the previous fiscal year, to ratify any and all actions taken by the board and to transact other business as may properly come before the meeting, cooperative secretary-treasurer Dewayne Ligons said in a press release.

Voting and registration for all members will be available on the following dates in advance of the meeting Friday.

On Monday, walk-in voters were able to vote in the Malden office.

Tuesday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., walk-in voting will be conducted in the Puxico office.

The Van Buren office will be the walk-in voting site from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday.

Thursday voting is 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Doniphan office.

Drive-in voting is 7 a.m.–2 p.m. at Ozark Border Electric Headquarters in Poplar Bluff, 3281 S. Westwood Blvd.

The business meeting will begin at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

All members who register in person at any of the locations and times are eligible to win bill credits.

Bylaw changes dealing with the nominating committee and one about prohibiting excessive campaign contributions also are on the ballot this year.

“The first one is just the logistical issue as far as the timing of when the nominating committee can be selected by the board,” Schremp said. “With the changes and schedules and everything that’s happened, coming out of COVID it’s gotten a little complicated trying to get the nominating committee selected. Not that they have to meet then, but to get them selected in the time frame that’s required. All this does is expand the time frame for when that committee is selected.”

A “yes” vote will amend the cooperative bylaws to provide a larger time frame in which the nominating committee can work and clearly define when petitions for board candidates may be received, he said.

A “no” vote will not amend the Ozark Border Electric Cooperative bylaws and will leave the time frame for the nominating committee to work as is.

The campaign contributions issue has arisen out of some special interest groups trying to impact cooperative elections in Missouri right now, Schremp said.

“There are some others that are being affected,” he said. “They are contributing heavily to people’s campaigns in order to promote their own agendas. Many of the coops you’ll see over the next 12 months, most of the coops in Missouri will be putting forth proposals like this to their membership.”

With the goal of protecting the members local control, voters will be presented a bylaw amendment prohibiting board of director candidates from receiving funds, financial benefits, and campaign contributions in excess of $250 from corporations and special interest groups for their election or re-election campaigns and to prohibit such contributions by individuals, corporations and special interest groups for board service by amending Article IV by adding a new Section 9:

“The members of Ozark Border Electric Cooperative hereby find and declare that excessive campaign contributions to board of director candidates create the potential for corruption, the appearance of corruption, and conflicts of interest; and, that excessive campaign contributions allow corporations and special interest groups to exercise a disproportionate level of influence over the Cooperative.

“If passed, any violation would result in disqualification from board service, whether learned before or after the election, and the vacancy created by such disqualification shall be filled by the Board of Directors pursuant to Article IV, Section 6.”

A “yes” vote will amend the Ozark Border Electric Cooperative bylaws.

A “no” vote will not amend the Ozark Border Electric Cooperative bylaws and no prohibition of excessive campaign contributions will be in place.