Incumbents win in Delaware Electric Cooperative election
The incumbents swept the recent election for the Delaware Electric Cooperative board of directors. A total of 14 people were seeking six three-year seats on the board.
According to a report from election administrator Survey and Balloting Systems, 4,266 ballots were cast from among 93,363 eligible voters, a participation rate of just 4.57 percent. However, turnout was much higher than any previous election. The last election, held in 2019, drew 659 voters, said Jeremy Tucker, DEC manager of marketing and communications.
The difference this time around was the introduction of online voting, which was instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, only 28 of the 4,266 people voted in person.
The new voting procedure was challenged by both the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2201 union and several of the candidates who were challenging incumbents. In both cases, challenges centered around lack of access to a computer or the internet for the elderly and low-income populations.
In response, Delaware Electric Cooperative highlighted a week-long opportunity to vote in person at DEC’s Greenwood headquarters.
As part of its election report, Survey and Balloting Systems shared the results of voter ratings on the online voting process. According to the report, 94.9 percent of responders were very satisfied or satisfied, 1.2 percent were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied, and 3.9 percent were neutral. Overall, 909 voters did not provide feedback.
Results
District 3
William Wells - 64.5%
Charles Groce - 35.5%
District 6
Laura Phillips - 68%
Mary Matthews - 16.5%
Timothy Garrahan - 15.5%
District 7
Thomas E. Brown - 100%
District 9
Blaine Daisey - 46.9%
Matthew Hastings - 20.8%
Laura Carter - 20%
Matthew Brittingham - 12.2%
At Large 1
Michael Brown - 66.4%
William Collick - 33.6%
At Large 2
Hunter Emory - 67.6%
Deborah Guenther - 32.4%
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
