In the November issue of Indiana Connection magazine, we detailed the changes and updates our board of directors made to our bylaws. One significant change was the elimination of district nomination meetings.

Member surveys conducted during recent elections and at the most recent Annual Meeting revealed interest in updating the election process. Many REMC members noted that often, only one person runs in the general election or district. “This limited slate raises questions about why the cooperative continues to offer such a variety of voting options,” Board President Kent Zimpfer said.

The board took the member input to heart. “The boardroom conversations revolved around addressing our members’ concerns, providing multiple voting options, eliminating district meetings, and accepting acclamation voting at the Annual Meeting,” said Zimpfer. “These changes to the bylaws not only provide clarity and streamline the entire process, but they also result in cost savings for members.”

This will be the first year for the bylaw changes. A major change is that there will be no district nomination meetings as in previous years. Now, any eligible member may submit a petition with at least 15 signatures from members in their district at least 75 days prior to the Annual Meeting. This year, that 75-day mark falls on a Sunday, meaning the deadline is the end of the business day on Friday, April 3.

If two or more members file a petition in a district to run against each other, we will use mail ballots and online voting to elect a director. This will also include on-site voting at the Annual Meeting.

If only one member files a petition to run in a district, the updated bylaws allow a director to be affirmed at the Annual Meeting by voice acclamation.

Districts up for election in 2026 are:

District 3 – represented by Kent Zimpfer

District 5 – represented by Ralph Zarse

District 7 – represented by Tina Davis