April 21, 2020

Palmer, AK –  This year more than 5,800 members voted in the 2020 MEA election with an 11% turnout, and online voting increased by 41% compared to the 2019 election. The 2020 MEA election included four proposed Bylaw changes, an advisory vote, and two District Board Seats – Susitna East and Susitna West. The election will be certified by the MEA Board of Directors in a Special Meeting on Monday, April 27, 2020.

The preliminary results of the election are as follows:

Bylaw Changes

Proposition 1: Adjust Board of Directors election schedule so At-Large Directors’ terms are staggered.

• Yes – 5,150 (89%)
• No – 605 (11%)

Proposition 2: Reduce time a candidate has to withdraw from the election to five days after filing deadline.

• Yes –4,492 (78%)
• No – 1,239 (22%)

Proposition 3: Provide additional reasons for Director Removal by the Board of Directors.

• Yes – 4,552 (80%)
• No – 1,144 (20%)

Proposition 4: Clarify procedures for member submittal of a Bylaw amendment.

• Yes – 5,093 (90%)
• No – 589 (10%)

Advisory Vote

Should the MEA Board, in conjunction with the member-led Bylaw Committee, undertake a review of the MEA Bylaws to make them more readable and understandable while retaining the unique needs and character of the cooperative?

• Yes – 5,108 (89%)
• No – 621 (11%)

Susitna West District Board Seat

• Bill Kendig (Incumbent)  585 (43%)
• Randall Kowalke 199 (15%)
• Molly Wood 578 (42%)

Susitna East District Board Seat

• Robert Doyle (Incumbent) 916 (100%)

This year members were encouraged and incentivized to vote online. Online voting increased by 41% from the previous year and a total of 2,368 members voted online with their SmartHub account while 3,445 members (59%) voted by mail. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, in-person voting was not offered in this election and the Annual Membership meeting was postponed until large gatherings can safely be held again. MEA members will be notified when the Annual Meeting is rescheduled.

Grand Prize Winners

To encourage voting and election participation among members, two grand prize drawings were offered: an Apple iPad to online voters and year of electricity (up to 10,000 kWhs) to all voters. The online voter grand prize winner was Janice Stormer of the Matanuska District. The winner of the year of electricity is member Paula Simon of the Susitna West District. Congratulations and we would like to thank all of our members who voted.

MEA Announces 2020 Scholarship Recipients

MEA is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Scholarship Awards:

• Daniel Kehoe – $7,500 – Su Valley Jr./Sr. High School
• Brooklyn Kopsack – $3,000 – Colony High School
• Emerson Moser – $2,500 – Mat-Su Career & Technical School

The MEA Scholarship Committee reviewed 86 applications this year. The Scholarship Foundation was established in 1990 by the MEA Board of Directors. The MEA Scholarship is designed to encourage individuals who are first-time college students, returning students, students participating in a vocational program, or students pursuing professional development that leads to a degree or certification. A total of three scholarships are awarded annually. The Scholarship Committee is made up of MEA members from various professions and communities to review and select scholarship recipients based on their applications. Scholarship applicants are asked to complete a financial plan and a short essay regarding the importance of member-owned cooperatives to both the student and the community. MEA would like to congratulate this year’s recipients and wish them the best in all their future studies.

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Matanuska Electric Association, Inc., Alaska’s oldest existing and second-largest electric cooperative, is owned and operated by its over 52,000 members. MEA’s service area covers nearly 4,500 miles of power lines in Southcentral Alaska.