Annual Meeting

The YVEA 2024 Annual Meeting of Members will be held on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at YVEA Craig Campus, 3715 US40 Craig, Colorado 81625.

The Annual Meeting of the Members of Yampa Valley Electric Association is held annually for the purpose of electing directors, passing upon reports covering the previous fiscal year, and transacting such other business as may come before the meeting.

YVEA Election Policy (PDF)  

2024 YVEA Election Process  

Yampa Valley Electric Association Inc. is a member-owned rural electric cooperative. The Association Bylaws state, “The Annual Meeting of the members shall be held annually, at such time and place designated from time to time by the Board of Directors for the purpose of electing Directors, passing upon reports covering the previous fiscal year and transaction such other business as may come before the meeting.”

You have a voice in the way your electric cooperative is run by voting for the individuals who serve on YVEA’s Board of Directors. It’s YVEA’s Board that determines our Association’s policies and direction. The Board consists of nine members, and each member serves a three-year term. Election of the director district is handled by mail ballot together with voting in person by those attending the Annual Meeting.

The area served by the Association is divided into nine districts. No member shall be eligible to become or remain a director who is not a bon-a-fide resident in the director district for which they are elected or appointed. Legal descriptions of each district can be found in Article XVI, Director Districts, in the Bylaws of the Association, or on the Yampa Valley Electric Association Website.

A nomination for director may be made only by written petition signed by at least fifteen members of the Association. The nominating petition and director qualification affidavit may be found at the Yampa Valley Electric Association Website or picked up at the YVEA offices in Steamboat Springs or Craig, once release in early April 2024. Petitions must be delivered to the Board Secretary, Larissa Rock, by 4 pm on April 26, 2024.

YVEA Board of Director Candidates – Prohibition Against Endorsement and Opposition

Yampa Valley Electric Association, Inc. (YVEA) has received information regarding the unauthorized use of the YVEA logo as part of a campaign communication sent to the membership. No candidate has been authorized to represent or imply in any campaign communication that a candidate is endorsed or opposed by the Cooperative.

The unauthorized use of the YVEA logo by a candidate should not be seen as YVEA’s endorsement of or opposition to any candidate. YVEA has not and will not send any communication to the membership endorsing or opposing any individual candidate running for the Board of Directors. YVEA does not financially support any candidate or campaign, the costs associated with a campaign reside solely on the candidate that is running for election.

Hybrid Election FAQs

What if I want to only vote by paper ballot?

For 2024, members will be given a choice of how they vote. Every member will receive a paper ballot and a personalized link with instructions for voting online. Members can choose which way they would like to vote. Additionally, there will be a QR code on the paper ballot envelope with an individual access code so members can vote electronically if they missed the email with instructions.

Will this new electronic voting be secure?

Yes! Here are a few ways we work with our third-party vendor, Survey Ballot Systems (SBS), to ensure a safe and secure election:

  • Our forms are SOC 2 compliant (this is a security and compliance standard that offers guidelines for service organizations to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, security incidents, and other vulnerabilities).
  • Regular vulnerability assessments are performed, including daily malware scans for all web platforms.
  • Highly skilled and certified engineers oversee secure infrastructure management.
  • 24/7 monitoring and rapid response from the third-party vendor, promptly assisting with any possible concerns.
  • SBS has third-party audits performed to ensure accuracy.
  • Industry-leading Symantec TLS encryption and authentication safeguard.
  • Data co-location in redundant data centers guarantees power grid distribution protection.
  • Online elections are hosted in Flexential's data center, ensuring a highly secure private cloud availability.
Why did YVEA decide to add this new way to vote?

There were a few reasons behind why our Board of Directors wanted to move to this new alternative:

  • Accessibility: We realize not all members have the time to mail back a ballot or drop off a ballot. This electronic way allows more people to vote on the Board of Directors without having to leave home.
  • Participation: On average, we have seen a little more than 10% of our membership vote in these elections. We see great importance for all members to have a say in who their elected officials are, and we hope this will increase voter turnout. Electronic voting will protect the cooperative business model's basic principle and empower members with continued local control over their electric coop.
What is YVEA’s new way of voting?

YVEA will now offer three ways to vote:

  • Mail paper ballots back to our third-party vendor
  • Submit their ballot electronically to our third-party vendor
  • Drop off paper ballots once registration opens at 3:00 pm on the day of the Annual Meeting