Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative will soon be accepting nominations for the Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative Board of Directors.

Heartland REC’s coverage area is divided into four districts and individuals who wish to run for a director’s seat need to be active members of the cooperative and bona fide residents of the district they wish to represent. Packets of information for those seeking to be candidates for the Board of Director Election will be available at Heartland’s Girard, Gas and Mound City offices starting on Thursday, January 14, 2021

Districts 1 and 4 will each have an election for one seat on the board in 2021.

• District 1 is Heartland’s northern-most district, and includes the area around LaCygne, Pleasanton, Mound City and Blue Mound.

• District 2 is Heartland’s central/western district, and includes the area around Iola, Elsmore, Erie, Chanute and St. Paul.

• District 3 is Heartland’s central/eastern district, and includes the area around Prescott, Mapleton, Fort Scott, Hepler, Walnut and Farlington.

• District 4 is Heartland’s southern-most district and includes the areas around Girard, McCune, Pittsburg, West Mineral, Columbus, Oswego and Chetopa.

Potential candidates need to be nominated by written petitions signed by at least 25 Heartland REC members who are residents of the district to be represented. Potential candidates will also need to complete and return the Affirmation of Director Qualification form that is also included in the election packet. Signed petitions and the Affirmation of

Director Qualification must be filed at the Heartland REC office in Girard, Kan. by 5:00 p.m. on February 8, 2021.

If more than two qualified members from a district seek election, Heartland REC will hold a primary election to narrow the field to two candidates. Primary ballots would be mailed to members in the district on or before Thursday, February 18, and would need to be returned by 5:00 p.m. Monday, March 1. Ballots for the regular election will be mailed to members of the district on or before Monday, March 15, and will need to be returned by 5:00 p.m. Monday, March 29. Election results will be announced at the Heartland REC Annual Meeting, which will be held Tuesday, March 30, at Heartland’s office in Girard.

If no contest is created and only a single nominee from the district seeks an open seat, the nominee will automatically be assigned membership on the Heartland REC Board of Directors and no election will be held.

Each Heartland REC member who files a nominating petition to become a candidate for director will also need to designate a teller to serve on the Election Committee, which is responsible for counting ballots.  Members of the Heartland REC Board of Directors serve three-year terms and are expected to attend regular meetings (which are currently held monthly in Girard) and any special meetings held as needed.  Members of the Heartland REC board receive no salary for their services.

A member of the HREC Board of Directors cannot be an employee of the cooperative or financially interested in a competing or similar enterprise. Nominees also cannot be closely related to a Heartland REC employee or current member of the Board of Directors. Additional details about the election process and director qualifications are included in the Heartland REC bylaws, which are available at our offices in Girard, Gas and Mound City.

Due to COVID concerns, public access to Heartland’s offices may be restricted, so please call ahead before you visit our offices. Election paperwork can also be mailed to anyone interested in a seat on the board.