Did you know, as a North Star Electric Cooperative member, you are part of a 42 million-member rural electric cooperative community? In 2012, rural voter turnout dropped across the country. So in 2016, co-ops around the country are working together to boost the number of rural voters in this fall’s election. They are doing it with the help of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and its Co-ops Vote initiative. One of the key pieces of this program is the vote.coop website.

Do you ever look at your ballot at election time and think there are some candidates you really don’t know that much about? And you think maybe you should have done a little more research before filling in that oval? The vote.coop website has some great information. It is your one-stop-shop for voter information, whether you live and vote in Minnesota or any other state. It will ask you to “take the pledge” to vote by entering your name, email and zip code. Using your zip code, it will direct you to the candidates in your area who you will be voting for. There are links to biographies and backgrounds of those candidates, as well as links to their websites.  You can also find general voting information as well as voter registration on the vote.coop website.

So now there is no excuse for not being informed! Before you head off to your polling place or before you grab your mail-in ballot, visit vote.coop and make a more informed decision. Remember, this Co-ops Vote initiative does not encourage you to vote for a particular party or candidate; the focus is on engaging and educating voters. Use this resource to help your community be heard in Washington!