<div class="field field-name-field-main-content field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden clearfix"> <h2>Dear Member: </h2><p>Notice is hereby given that the 2015 meeting of the members of Jackson Electric Membership Corporation will be held at the headquarters in Jefferson, Georgia, Thursday, September 17, 2015. Registration will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be called to order at approximately 7:20 p.m. by the chairperson. The purpose of the meeting is to: </p><p>(1) receive reports of officers, directors and committees; <br />(2) elect three directors; <br />(3) vote on Bylaws changes, and <br />(4) handle all other business which may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. </p><p>Prizes, entertainment, a box supper, important business and other special programs will be featured at this meeting. You are requested to be present. </p><h2>Jackson EMC Board of Directors recommends Bylaws amendments </h2><p>Jackson EMC’s board of directors has adopted a resolution supporting changes to several provisions of the cooperative’s Bylaws (specifically, Article II, Sections 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7; and Article III, Section 4). If approved by the members, these Bylaw amendments would: </p><p>1. Allow members to vote in contested director elections during an “early voting” period of at least five days during the 14 days prior to the Annual Meeting. Voting locations during the early voting period would be established by the Credentials and Elections Committee, and voting would still be permitted at the Annual Meeting. </p><p>• The Board believes these proposals will create a cost-effective way to expand member participation in director elections and make voting more convenient, without reducing the security or the integrity of the election process. </p><p>2. To permit the notice of the Annual Meeting to be provided by any “reasonable means” between five (5) to ninety (90) days prior to the Annual Meeting. The Bylaws currently require printed notice to be delivered ten (10) to sixty (60) days before the Annual Meeting. </p><p>• Member communication preferences have changed dramatically over the last ten years, and may continue to evolve. This revision reflects what is permitted by Georgia law, and the Board believes the Cooperative should have maximum flexibility to provide notice of Annual Meetings in a manner, and at a time, which may be more convenient and accessible to members. </p><p>3. To provide earlier notice to members of upcoming elections, the Cooperative’s election process, and related deadlines. </p><p>• Earlier notice of election-related information will better equip members to participate in the election process, will provide adequate time for the Cooperative to verify and communicate director-related information to members prior to the election, and to accommodate voting during the “early voting period.” </p><p>4. To require the Nominating Committee to publish its nomina¬tions for director election at least 180 days prior to the Annual Meeting (the current deadline is 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting), and to require that nominating petitions be submitted to the Cooperative between 200 to 150 days prior to the Annual Meeting (the current deadline is 15 days prior to the Annual Meeting). </p><p>• The Board believes that earlier deadlines on all nominations will help ensure that there is adequate time for candidate information to be verified and communicated to the membership, to provide time for members to evaluate the candidates, and to vote during the early voting period or at the Annual Meeting. </p><p>5. To increase the required number of member signatures on a nominating petition from 15 to 50. </p><p>• The Cooperative has grown from 90 members to more than 180,000 members, and the petition requirement has never been increased. Given the expense associated with a contested election, the Board believes an increased petition requirement is appropriate to demonstrate that a nominee has invested appropriate time and energy to campaigning among members. </p><p>6. To clearly set forth the requirements of a valid nominating petition (which will include the following requirements: (i) the petitioner’s name and the incumbent director’s name must appear on each page, (ii) all signatures must be obtained within 90 days, and (iii) the petition must be submitted within 120 days of obtaining all signatures). </p><p>• The Board believes clearly communicating to members the basic requirements of a petition will help avoid future disputes. </p><p>Members will be asked to vote on the recommended amendments during the cooperative’s 2015 Annual Meeting. The full text of the board resolution and recommended Bylaw amendments may be found below or at any of the cooperative’s local offices upon request. Questions regarding these changes can be emailed to <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> or by calling (706) 367-6114. </p><p> </p><p><strong><a href="https://www.jacksonemc.com/sites/default/files/boardresolutionbylaws15.pdf" target="_blank">Board Resolution </a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.jacksonemc.com/sites/default/files/trackedchangesearlyvoting.pdf" target="_blank">Recommended Amendments </a></strong></p><p> </p> </div>