The process of electing directors to SVEC’s board is underway for 2024.
The first order of business is lining up a slate of candidates for all members to vote on. These contenders must be SVEC members in good standing who submit a petition signed by at least 50 co-op account holders by 4 p.m. Monday, April 1.
This year, one seat on the board will appear on the ballot for Rockingham County. Members residing in Rockingham have an opportunity to run for the board.
To receive a petition, please contact SVEC attorney Hannah Hutman at 540-433-2444.
Petition Process
For petitions due on April 1, at least 50 signatures of other SVEC account holders — they don’t have to live in Rockingham — is the minimum required for candidates. Petitioners are encouraged to obtain as many signatures as possible to ensure their document is certified.
A qualifications committee of co-op members will certify petitions by mid-April and confirm a candidate’s eligibility, including incumbent directors interested in pursuing re-election. Incumbents are not required to submit a petition.
Up to three petition candidates can run for a given board seat. If more than three petitioners seek to be on the ballot, the qualifications committee must select only three people as candidates. This excludes an incumbent, who, if interested in re-election, would be a fourth candidate in that case.
Directors for all seats are elected by all members, regardless of where a member lives, through mailed and online ballots, which will be sent around the third week of June. Election results are announced during SVEC’s annual meeting, scheduled to be held via telephone at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1.
Qualifications of a Board Member
Potential candidates for the board must be members of SVEC and bona fide residents of its service area. The cooperative's bylaws say that candidates may not, in any way, be employed by a competing enterprise or a business selling electric energy or supplies to the cooperative.
Read SVEC's Director Job Description.
Qualifications Committee
- Tammara (Tammy) Canfield; Email: utlahis@protonmail.com
- Jeff Germroth; Email: germroth@jamesriverequipment.com
- James M. Winkfield; Email: jaywinkfield1954@gmail.com
This committee is the initial qualifications committee, serving a term running from January 2022 until the conclusion of the annual meeting in 2024. The committee reviews and confirms the standing of petition candidates and incumbents seeking reelection to the board.
Board Transition Process
Starting with the 2022 election, the board entered a transition period with the goal of having a nine-member board, with each member serving a three-year term and three offices up for election each year. The board currently has 10 directors, all serving four-year terms. The number of seats up for election each year varies.
At the conclusion of the transition period, there will be nine director offices. One each will come from Augusta, Frederick, Page, Rockingham and Shenandoah counties, and the City of Winchester. Additionally, one each will come from the Northern, Central and Southern regions. The Southern region office is filled by a member who resides in Augusta, Greene, Highland or Rockingham counties, the City of Staunton, or any county bordering Augusta (other than any county already mentioned).
For the 2024 election, the Rockingham County seat will be for a three-year term.