Railbelt Cooperatives Prepare for Board Elections
Published March 6, 2025
By Brian Kassof
2025 Board Elections:
Preparations for board elections at the four Railbelt electric cooperatives are in full swing. The regular nomination/application process has closed at all four utilities, although Chugach Electric Association (CEA) will continue to accept petitions to be put on the ballot until March 21. Voting will begin at Homer Electric Association (HEA) on March 28, with Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) opening voting in early April, CEA in mid-April, and Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) in May.
AETP is sending questionnaires to all candidates in Railbelt cooperative elections and will publish responses as they are received. AETP will run individual articles on each cooperative’s election before voting begins, with additional information on how to vote, candidate backgrounds, and any proposed bylaw changes.
HEA:
HEA members will elect one director in each of its three districts. Electronic and by-mail voting will open on March 28. The deadline ballots to be received has not yet been announced, but last year it was the day before the HEA Annual Meeting, which will be held on May 1 at Kenai Central High School. Members also are still able to vote at the Annual Meeting. More information on the election, including district boundaries, can be found on the HEA Election page.
There are two candidates in District One--incumbent Wayne Ogle and Patrick Parker. There are also two candidates in District Two--incumbent Dan Furlong and Mitchell Michaud. In District 3, incumbent Erin McKittrick will face challengers Matthew Bullard and Rick Eckert.
MEA:
MEA members will be electing two directors—for the Matanuska District and one At-large seat. Electronic and mail-in voting will begin around April 1 (the exact date has not yet been announced) and end on April 28 at 5 p.m. Members can also vote in person at the MEA Annual Meeting, which will be held on April 29.
There are three candidates running for the At-large seat: incumbent Arthur Keyes, Tyler Vose, and Michael Willmon. All members can vote in this race.
There are two candidates running for the Matanuska District seat—incumbent Mark Masteller and Thomas Bergey. Only members living in this district, which includes areas east of Wasilla, including Palmer and communities along the Glenn Highway, can vote in this race. MEA bills list a member’s district—you can also use the district map tool on the 2025 MEA Elections page.
CEA:
CEA members will elect one director this year. All CEA board seats are at-large, representing the entire membership. Electronic and mail-in voting will start at the end of April (the exact date has not yet been announced) and run until CEA’s Annual Meeting, scheduled for May 30. In previous years, electronic voting closed on the day of the Annual Meeting and mail-in ballots were due the day before. Members wishing to vote by mail need to contact CEA to request a paper ballot. Members can also vote in person at the Annual Meeting.
CEA’s Nominating Committee advanced three candidates for the election—incumbent Sam Cason, Katherine Jernstrom, and Bernie Smith. Those interested in getting on the ballot through the petition process have until March 21 to submit their materials. More information can be found on the CEA Annual Meeting and Election page.
GVEA:
GVEA members in Districts 5 and 6 will elect directors this year. GVEA has not yet announced when voting will start and end. In past years, voting has opened shortly after the Annual Meeting, which will be on May 1, and lasted for a month. Members can vote by mail or electronically. The nominating committees in both districts each only advanced one candidate—Bradley Swope in District 5 and incumbent Fred Sheen in District 6. District 5 includes North Pole and surrounding areas. District 6 is the area around Delta Junction. District maps are available on the GVEA board election page.
The deadline for petition candidates was March 5—GVEA has not yet indicated if anyone has applied to run as a petition candidate. If there are no petition candidates in one or both races, GVEA’s board has the option of appointing unopposed candidates to the board and cancelling that election. If the board chooses to pursue this route, it will likely be at its upcoming March 25 board meeting.
