While the next presidential election isn’t until 2020, there are countless state and local elections between now and then that can have a major impact on life in our local communities. That’s why Mid-South Synergy remains engaged in a national get-out-and-vote campaign called Co-ops Vote. We invite you to join us.
Co-ops Vote is a nonpartisan project of America’s electric cooperatives designed to encourage co-op members to vote and support their co-ops and their community when they go to the polls. As a nonpartisan effort, the program does not endorse or recommend candidates for election.
Co-ops Vote was launched in 2016 to reverse a troubling trend: In the 2012 elections, voter turnout in rural areas declined 18 percent—twice the voter drop-off seen nationally. More than 700 electric co-ops in 47 states responded by joining the Co-ops Vote program to increase voter engagement in the communities they serve, and it was a tremendous success. Rural voter turnout in 2016 increased by more than a half-million Americans. Together, we grew our political influence and encouraged lawmakers to pay more attention to the issues affecting rural Americans.
We must harness this momentum and ensure that Co-ops Vote continues to thrive.
More than 1,000 local and state elections will be held this year. Unfortunately, these critical elections often are ignored by the majority of voters. Many people see these “smaller” elections as less important than national elections. In reality, state and local elections have an even greater impact on local communities because the candidates are running on local issues—issues that are closer to voters’ everyday lives than many national issues.
Visit vote.coop to join and learn more. And by all means, make sure you cast your ballot November 6—and every election day.
