Cherryland Electric election closes this week before June 11 meeting

Cherryland Electric Cooperative members still have a narrow window to help choose the people who help steer their electric bills, service reliability and long-term investments. The cooperative’s 2026 board election is open to any member of record, and only one ballot may be cast per membership before the vote closes ahead of the June 11 annual meeting.

This year, members are voting for one at-large director and one Leelanau County director. Cherryland says its board members manage the business affairs of the cooperative, which makes the election more than a formality: the people elected help shape the priorities that affect day-to-day service for households and businesses across Grand Traverse County and the wider Cherryland service area.

Online voting opened May 1, 2026, and members can vote by SmartHub, by mail or in person. Those who have not already voted online or by mail can cast a ballot at the annual meeting from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. before the business meeting begins. Cherryland’s 88th Annual Meeting is set for Thursday, June 11, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Incredible Mo’s in Grawn, and the co-op says the event is open to all Cherryland members.

The utility says the annual meeting typically draws more than 1,000 members, even though turnout in board elections has been modest. In a May 2025 election post, Cherryland said between 8% and 12% of its membership votes each year. That gap matters for a member-owned utility, where board seats can influence how aggressively the co-op plans for reliability upgrades, how it responds to outages and how it balances costs for members who depend on its service every month.

Cherryland’s governance materials describe cooperatives as member-owned and member-governed, with directors elected by the membership. Board terms last three years, and elections are staggered so at least one seat is up each year. Incumbent Dave Schweitzer, the at-large director, was re-elected in June 2023 to a term through 2026. He said, “Electric utilities are now front and center.”

Cherryland also says members who vote in the election could win a $100 bill credit, a small incentive attached to a decision that carries lasting consequences for local service. The co-op’s campaign rules also include a privacy disclaimer saying Cherryland does not share members’ personal information with board candidates, underscoring how tightly managed the election remains as the deadline approaches.