Burke-Divide Electric Cooperative is overseen by a board of directors elected by you, the members and owners of the electric cooperative. Each director is a cooperative member and represents the members of the cooperative on the board. This is one of the distinct foundations of the cooperative way of business — governance comes from the membership.
2026 Director Elections
At the 2026 annual meeting, members will elect a director in District 2 and District 3. The District 2 seat is currently held by Kurt Koppelsloen and the District 3 seat is currently held by Jeff Dahlin are up for election. Each seat is a three-year term.
Members interested in becoming a candidate for a director’s seat are required to circulate a nominating petition and secure 15 signatures from members within his/her district.
Petitions will be available at the cooperative’s headquarters in Columbus beginning March 12. Completed petitions must be filed with the cooperative by the close of business May 11. Please remember, nominations for director positions are no longer taken from the floor at the Annual Meeting.
Contact Heidi Haugen-Grohs, member services manager, at (701) 939-6671 with questions regarding the director election process.
Bylaw Section 4.2:
Director Qualifications
Every director or candidate for a directorship shall: (1) be at least eighteen (18) years old; (2) be a member of the Cooperative and receive electric service from the Cooperative at a meter located within the District for the directorship being filled; and (3) be a bona fide resident of the area within the outside geographical boundaries of the District for the directorship being filled, even if the residence is not served by the cooperative, so long as the member has a meter located in the District as set forth above; (4) not be employed by, or financially interested in a competing enterprise or a business selling electric energy or supplies; or be employed by, or financially interested in, a business primarily engaged in selling electrical fixtures or supplies to the Cooperative or members of the Cooperative; and (5) not be currently employed, or employed by the Cooperative in the preceding 3 years.
These qualifications shall apply whether such directorship is being filled by election or appointment. No representative of a member who is other than a natural person shall be qualified to be a director unless that person is also a member of the Cooperative individually and meets the criteria outlined above.
Upon establishment of the fact that a director is holding office in violation of any of the foregoing provisions, it shall immediately become incumbent upon the director to resign or the Board of Directors to remove such director from office.
Nothing in this section shall, or shall be construed to, affect in any manner whatsoever the validity of any action taken at any meeting of the Board of Directors, unless such action is taken with respect to a matter in which one or more of the directors have an undisclosed interest adverse to that of the Cooperative.
