NRECA has launched its 2026 Co-ops Vote program, which features a new Pledge to Vote campaign for the midterm elections and an enhanced 5-Star Co-op Program for co-ops that promote civic engagement.

Co-ops Vote began in 2016 as a way to boost the rural vote and make sure people think about issues affecting their local electric cooperatives when they head to the polls, said Amy Lewis, NRECA’s PAC and political engagement director.

“Our co-ops love the program,” she said. “We’re launching Co-ops Vote 2026 to try to engage even more voters in the co-op community.”

Co-op employees and consumer-members will now be able to fill out an electronic Pledge to Vote form to show that they are committed to being a co-op voter and will vote in the midterm elections on Nov. 3. While co-ops continue to host voter registration booths at community events and invite candidates to speak to their members, NRECA will run the pledge campaign, Lewis said.

When voters take the pledge, they will receive information about where to vote, how to register if they still need to, and how to find out who their legislators are. NRECA also will direct them to the Issues and Policy section of electric.coop to learn more about topics that affect co-ops and rural communities.

Voters who fill out the pledge form will be eligible to win Co-ops Vote-themed gifts, Lewis said. They also can sign up to become co-op advocates by joining Voices for Cooperative Power.

“Elections shape energy policy,” the voter pledge page says. “The decisions made by lawmakers—from your local officials up to Congress—directly impact whether your co-op can continue delivering safe, affordable, reliable power. That's why we’re encouraging co-op members to vote with these values in mind.

“When rural voters show up and vote for co-op members’ interests, we send a powerful message to decision makers. By taking this pledge, you're joining a growing network of voters committed to protecting the energy that powers our communities. Together, we're showing lawmakers that co-op issues deserve a seat at the table.”

The 5-Star Co-op Program will continue to enable co-ops to earn stars by completing activities that promote civic engagement, encourage voter participation and strengthen their community’s voice at the polls.

However, the program is now streamlined so that co-ops are all doing four of the same activities, with a fifth activity that allows for greater choice, Lewis said. In the past, co-ops were doing a wide range of things to earn 5-star status.

A toolkit is available for co-ops to download on cooperative.com.

“We revamped the cooperative.com Co-op Votes section to allow co-ops to have all the resources they need in one fell swoop,” Lewis said. “We consolidated program information and resources into three pages. Our goal is to make it easy for co-ops to participate in the program and achieve success.”