President’s Message – April 2023

Annual Meeting 2023: Please Vote

Your ballot for the 2023 Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative annual meeting should have arrived in your mailbox by now. The meeting is is at 9 a.m., Saturday, May 6, at our headquarters in Wewahitchka.

To allow GCEC members to participate in the democratic process part of the annual meeting, members may vote by mail or online.

It is important that you participate in your cooperative. When your ballot arrives, we encourage you to vote in one of the following ways:

• Online. Follow the online instructions to place your vote on the secure website. Please make sure you have your voting PIN handy. Your PIN is on the paper ballot enclosed in your election packet.
• Mail. Vote via the U.S. Postal Service by completing the ballot in your packet and returning it in the postage-paid envelope included with the election materials. Your ballot is mailed to a third party, which counts the votes on behalf of the cooperative. We do not have access to completed ballots. In appreciation for your time, we will credit $5 to your electric bill for participating.

The cooperative also will work with the third party handling the election to select 40 ballot PINs randomly. These members will receive $50 gift cards in the mail. Additionally, we will randomly select 10 members to receive $100 electric bill credits. Grand prizes include 2 Solo stoves.

The election closing date is 10 days before the annual meeting—April 26, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. CST—so please go online and vote before this time. If voting by mail, please allow enough time for sufficient mail processing.

I encourage you to take part in the meeting. Each member has a voice in the operations of GCEC, and your voices need to be heard. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us.

As always, it is a pleasure to serve you.