Submitted by Orcas Power and Light Cooperative

Co-op members understand the power of the vote – it’s in our DNA. With Americans holding more than 350 million co-op memberships and rural electric cooperatives serving 75 percent of our country’s land mass: we have the power. OPALCO, the Orcas Food Co-op and San Juan Island Food Co-op encourage you to register to vote, cast your ballot and advocate for friends and family to show up on Election Day, too.

October is National Cooperative Month and a great time to celebrate what it means to be a co-op member: democracy, community and resiliency. Please join us for treats, refreshments and voter registration at co-op member appreciation events in October:

Thursday, Oct. 4

– Orcas Food Co-op: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

– San Juan Island Food Co-op: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.

– Lopez Island OPALCO Crew Station: 12–2 p.m.

– Eastsound OPALCO headquarters: 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 11

– San Juan Island Food Co-op @ San Juan Bakery: 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 18

– Friday Harbor OPALCO office: 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Voter registration forms will also be available in OPALCO’s offices and you can register online at www.sanjuanco.com/1225/Voter-Information with MyVote. Go online today to check your name and address for any changes so that your ballot gets to you in time.

Co-ops Vote (www.vote.coop) is a non-partisan program developed by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives.

For the latest information about OPALCO, go to www.opalco.com; sign up for our email newsletter (http://www.opalco.com/about/email-signup/); and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.