We would like to thank our members for participating in the 2022 Annual Meeting.

1,104 members attended the meeting to register and vote. The proposed bylaw amendments passed with a nearly 97% approval. Amendment tabulation and prize drawings were observed and certified by Richard Ray, Attorney with Kitchens Law Firm (Claiborne Electric’s corporate counsel).

Prize Winners were randomly selected after the meeting. Winners will be contacted directly during the week of June 13 to arrange for prize pick-up.

Winners are as follows:

Claiborne Electric will host a drive-through Annual Meeting on June 11.

The Co-op will have two sites available for members to register– one at Claiborne Electric’s headquarters office (12525 Hwy. 9 in Homer), and one at D’Arbonne Woods Charter School (9560 Hwy. 33 in Farmerville). On June 11, members can drive through a multi-lane site in either location to register for the meeting, be entered for all prize drawings, and cast a ballot for the proposed bylaw amendments. Drive-through registration will take place from 9 a.m. until noon.

At each location, members will drive in and remain in their vehicles through the registration process. Claiborne Electric employee will be directing members to lanes. After members are finished registering and voting, they will be directed to the exit.

“After the overwhelmingly positive response we received from members after our 2021 drive-through meeting, we decided to use this format again,” said Claiborne Electric CEO and General Manager Mark Brown.

Members will vote on two proposed Bylaw amendments that would allow the Co-op’s Annual Meeting to be held in any format the Board of Directors deems appropriate or necessary.

In May, members will receive an official registration card by mail. For the registration process to flow smoothly, members are asked to bring their registration card to the meeting. All members who bring their registration card will be entered into a drawing for a $500 gift card.

Several cash prizes will be awarded after the conclusion of the meeting. Members who participate will be eligible for cash prizes of $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, and a grand prize of $5,000. Names will also be drawn for 50 $100 gift cards. All prizes will be drawn after the conclusion of the meeting, and winners will be posted online and contacted directly.
Brown said that as members arrive to the drive-through sites, they should try to have their registration card and photo ID ready to present.
The primary member on the account must be the one to register and present identification. If a spouse will attend the meeting without the primary member, both spouses must visit a Claiborne Electric office before the Annual Meeting to form a Joint Membership. With a Joint Membership, either spouse can present I.D. and represent that membership at the meeting. A joint membership is still one membership – spouses will need to determine jointly how they wish to cast their one vote.

An organization that is a member of the Co-op may designate a person to attend the meeting to register on behalf of the organization and cast a ballot. At registration, that person will need to present a letter on the organization’s letterhead and signed by the leader of the organization naming them as the representative for the organization.

“Please make plans to join us for a few minutes to participate in the 2022 Annual Meeting,” Brown said. “We look forward to seeing our members on June 11!”

Nominations for directors in three of Claiborne Electric’s districts open January 3 and close January 31.

Members in Districts Two, Four, and Five may nominate a member from that district to stand for election at the 2022 Annual Meeting. Nominations will be open for the entire month of January.

Willie Sensley, Jr. of Farmerville currently represents District 2. Leroy Perritt of Arcadia currently represents District 4. Ben Abshire of Homer currently represents District 5.

Article IV, section 4 of Claiborne Electric’s bylaws reads as follows:

“Nomination

Any three (3) members of record living within a district and acting together, may make a nomination for the Director from that district in writing during the month of January. Nominations will be due by close of business on the last business day of January. The Secretary shall post such nominations at the principal office of the Cooperative in both Union and Claiborne Parishes. If only one nomination is submitted, the Board of Directors will declare the nominated candidate as the winner and shall not hold an election for that district. If no nominations are submitted, the seat will be considered a vacancy and will be handled according to Article IV, Section 6 of these bylaws.”

A sample nomination form can be found here.